angry/bitter/passionate audition songs

[tinydancer4]

Posted: 11/12/07 at 7:31pm

I am looking for an angry song which I can do in an audition. I really wanted to sing "Not A Day Goes By" from Merrily, but it turns out the original key is about a fifth higher than the one on my recording and I'm not sure how the college would feel if I changed it. And it's hard to sound angry when I'm singing so high... Any ideas?

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 11/12/07 at 7:55pm

You Don't Know This Man from Parade?

[fabala4077]

Posted: 11/12/07 at 7:59pm

eh, the only one that comes to mind is "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miz. Overdone much? Sorry.

[lovelyspotlight]

Posted: 11/12/07 at 8:27pm

"Kesa" from See What I Wanna See?

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 11/12/07 at 8:30pm

Come to Your Senses from TTB
Shine from Spitfire Grill
You Dont Know This Man from Parade
Astonishing from Little Women
Just a Housewife from Working
All Grown Up from Bare: A Pop Opera
Hold Down the Fort from John and Jen

[tinydancer4]

Posted: 11/12/07 at 9:18pm

Those are some great suggestions, thanks! Where can I get the music for All Grown Up from Bare? Is this quite commonly done at auditions? I'm from the UK and I don't think there's been a production of it here, so hopefully not...

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 12:24am

[e-mail]

:]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 8:31am

Nope, Bare is pretty much not heard of in the UK so go for it.

Posted: 11/13/07 at 9:50am

Some great suggestions but in term of tinydancer's audition:

Working - you are too young for that song/character really
Tick Tick Boom and John and Jen (any Jason Robert Brown really including Parade) - overdone
Little women - heavily overdone
Les Mis - AVOID
See what I wanna see - done but not overdone

Shine from Spitfire Grill is a great idea too as well as Bare.
Updated On: 11/13/07 at 09:50 AM

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 1:23pm

Well Tick Tick Boom is Jon Larson and John and Jen is Lippa. But, Bare and Spitfire are rarely ever done and they both have great stuff.

[Allshowsrock]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 4:47pm

I'm Not That Girl from WICKED. It has ALOT of deep notes that will show the directors you have range but also has some high notes (not REALLY high but it is all over the map a bit.
On My Own from Les Miz. Thats pretty good to show feeling

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 7:46pm

Les Mis and Wicked are 2 of the most overdone shows ever. If you want something to surprise your teacher with, don't perform anything from those shows haha

[SarahBeth]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 9:33pm

One of my directors has said that if he hears an audition with those two shows (or any other shows that are considered "overdone") he tunes out because he's sick of them.

[Allshowsrock]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 11:37pm

but their also VEEERY hard to sing so if you pull it off well enough hey u might do well.
BUT, they are pretty overdone in auditions (believe me I have sat thru enough of them...)soo...yea dont do what I suggested lol

[lovelyspotlight]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 10:19am

Yeah, there are plenty of songs that are difficult to perform and would impress people if done well that aren't from overdone musicals.

[spidey_882]

Posted: 11/19/07 at 6:53pm

How about "See I'm Smiling" from The Last 5 Years?

Posted: 11/20/07 at 8:37am

...except that's another very overdone show and song.

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 9:59am

Boom Boom from William Finn's Elegies. SO beautiful. If you want the youtube link, let me know :]

[WOSQ]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 10:50am

Passionate is okay to listen to, but, as someone who in the past sat through far too many bitter and/or angry songs that were sung with no purpose except that, come up with a new spin on whatever song you select. Put a different sub-text to the song.

Take an angry song and sing it with a smile. Take a you-done-gone-and-broke-my-heart song and sing it with relief that the SOB is gone. An old song done by Barbra in the 70s called "The Best Thing You've Ever Done" works very well this way. There are hundreds of others.

Do you want to be angry and bitter or do you want to be remembered? That is the question to ask yourself while you mine this vein.

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 2:15pm

"Green Finch and Linnet Bird", perhaps?

Also, I've heard some women sing "I Am What I Am", oddly enough.

Another one that you should avoid: "Over the Rainbow". Unless you can really sell it as your own, they're just gonna think to themselves, "That's good, but Judy sounds better."

Maybe "Far From the Home I Love" or "Shadowland" will do the trick.

I'll post more if I think of them.

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 2:16pm

One more thing: don't audition with "Rent." I've heard many a teenage girl butcher "I'll Cover You", so many, that I don't think I will ever like that song again.

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 3:26pm

For angry and bitter, "A Boy Like That" from West Side Story can't be beat.

[Allshowsrock]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 11:40pm

OOO for Bitter do "Aldonza" from Man of La Mancha!

[lovelyspotlight]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 12:06am

I still say "Kesa" from See What I Wanna See...

QUITE passionate.

[MannyCotty]

Posted: 11/21/07 at 11:51am

"Funny" from City of Angels