Audition for NYU

I would say avoid "Dancing Through Life" like the plague.

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You would say it, which is slightly helpful. However, why would you say it? And what experience do you have that would make me take your advice seriously? I'm not trying to be saucy or smug, please don't take it that way. I just don't want anybody who hates "Wicked" saying it simply because they don't like "Wicked." Make sense?

-Vincent

Hmm, I auditioned for NYU 3 years ago and much to my surprise got into CAP singing Luck Be a Lady...however, while I do think Dancing Through Life is not gonna be an auditioners favorite, if you can blow them away with it, go for it.

Good luck with the audition!

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I don't know if you were talking to me or Priest earlier, but my take on doing Wicked at an audition is that it's going to be completely overdone. Auditors don't want to see the same songs over and over again. It would be like going in and singing "On My Own" or "Memory." Unless it's a song that you can completely own and blow anyone else out of the water with. I'm assuming with the monologues that they don't want classical because they don't want any Shakespeare or anything. You won't be studying shakespeare in musical theatre, but you WILL be studying classic musicals LIKE Guys & Dolls. I agree with you that you should stay away from that show. Older shows that are less known but have great material like "She Loves Me" or something like that would be much better than "Luck Be A Lady."

And I'm not really a fan of Wicked. I like it as entertainment, but as a piece of theatre it's not very good. And not many of the songs would make good audition pieces, except for a few of Elphaba's. They're too "pop" in form to make sense as an audition song, and don't necessarilly show off much acting.

Break a leg with your audition!

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Haha, more power to you! I do a damn good "I'll Be There."

Are you a baritone or a tenor? I could take a look through my books and give suggestions. I went through college auditions too, so I've got lots of stuff.

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Hehe. I was a baritone once. I'll try to stay with uptempos, but some of these ballads I can't help but suggest...

"Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" from Cinderella - It's amazing how little people use this song. It's in great baritone range and is just long enough for audition length. Very simple, very nice.

"Fireworks" from Do Re Mi - It's a definite "boom-chuck" song, but it's very classic Broadway style. It's sung by a straight guy, but sometimes I think it should be sung by Carmen Ghia, because it kind of makes me feel like that when I sing it. Haha.

"A Foggy Day" by Gershwins - Not sure what show it's from, but it's a nice midtempo that no one sings and has a nice "money note" moment on an F.

"Loving You" from Passion - Yes, it IS Sondheim, but it's surprisingly easy. Also, it's originally sung by a woman, and I don't know many guys that will venture into that territory. It's for a soprano woman, so it fits nicely into a baritone range. The non-solo version is nice and short, but it still needs a few measures cut.

"No Other Love" by R&H - Don't know what show, but again lands on a nice fat F at the end of the song. It's in a slow "tango" tempo.

"Tonight At Eight" from She Loves Me - It's definitely an acting song, and doesn't necesarilly show off the voice that much. It's also a patter song, and doesn't go very high.

"On The Other Side Of The Tracks" from Little Me - Also a girl song, but it's got a great driving tempo and is quite the showstopper. You can get it at www.sunhawk.com and change the key to whatever you want. Definitely a jazz/Broadway belt song.

"Anytime (I Am There)" from Elegies - It's a William Finn song, but it's a very easy William Finn song. The money note is an F#, which is kind of getting out of a baritone's range. It's a midtempo and is a great acting piece. The guys key says "Norm" on the title page, I believe, because it's the version he sings in the Infinite Joy concert. It's also not legit, but it's a great song.

Break a leg with your audition! I hope I was some help. Are you going for any other schools? Boco? CCM? UMich? NWestern? Carnegie-Mellon?

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Awesome! I can't thank you enough!! I was actually in "Cinderella" some years ago, so I'll have to look into that piece. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

-Vincent

The reason I would avoid 'Dancing Through Life' has nothing to do with my dislike for the show and song.

But singing a song from the most popular show currently running on Broadway is, I think, a bad first impression.

You want to show them that you care enough about the audition to find a song that fits you, not just one that is popular.

They would much rather hear a more obscure song. It tells them that you know more about musical theatre and its history then the average theatre-goer.


And hearing the umpteenth rendetion of 'DTL' will drive them up the wall.


But, besides all that, it isn't even a great song.

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Tisch never has accompanists for auditions so worrying about that isn't a problem. It's generally known that you shouldn't do a song from any show which has appeared on Broadway within the past five years, regardless of how well you can do it. Break a leg!

JRB??

yea, stay away from something that ppl are currently listening to. plus you wouldnt want to sing dancing through life if (InsertNameofNextBwayFyeroHere) happened to audition on that very same day and they compared him to you - regardless of your talent, you're generating yourself unecessary competition..


hey does anyone know if we have to dance if we didnt sing up for the advanced dance component?

im going to audition in two weeks, but as a mexican i have no idea how to survive the cold weather otuside and then wear appropriate audition wear inside...anybody have any tips on waht i should wear and stuff? is there a place to change?? thnx!!!! how many ppl are on teh audition panel?

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