Help: Tenor Show-Stopping Solos- Page 2

[jaesdare]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:49pm

Begin the Beguine from Jubilee?
Guido's Song from Nine
Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha

[mrkringas]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:52pm

I sang Kiss of the Spiderwoman in "The World Goes Round". A total bitch of a song and def one that can wow an audience. However its rangey and needs a solid high baritone. It goes all the way down to a low G# and ends up a nasty high G# but on the word "Escape". Nasty word! Starts on a e vowel and then changes to "au". Not an easy one to maintain.

If you want some different choices for showstoppers how about...

King of the World- Songs for a New World
She Wasn't You- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Who Needs to Dream?- Copacabana
Love Cant Happen- Grand Hotel (although its very boring music)
Catch Me- David Friedman
Empty Sky- Romeo and Juliett (PM if you dont know it)
New America- JFK
I Dont Want to Know- Ala Sam Harris
Il Mondo Era Vuoto- The Light in the Piazza

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:54pm

Is "Anthem" really a tenor song? The part of Anatoly is usually played by a baritone, although I suppose there are some higher notes in the song.

You're right... I'm such a bad judge of these things! But yes, Anatoly is a baritone role.

[Jesus]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 1:13pm

Awaiting you certainly has show stopping potential. If done al la Billy Porter, it'll bring a crowd to its feet.

[rock00]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 2:02pm

I'm confused. Is this a thread about songs that are written for the tenor voice or a thread about whether or not a baritone can be cast in a tenor role or vice-versa?

FYI, Anthem is way overdone if you're using it for an audition. The last musical audition I was at, I heard it no less than three times.

Also, I don't know that sheet music is available for the middle section of Oh What A Circus outside of the actual score. At least I didn't have any luck trying to find it a few months ago.

[mallardo]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 2:40pm

How about "Love Can't Happen" from Grand Hotel. It goes up, I believe, to a high A (or maybe B).

[Tsao5]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 2:44pm

I wouldn't cut the "Sing you fools but you got is wrong" from the rest of the song. Sing the whole song. Just pointing out that that part of the song could sound impressive.

Also, depending on what you need the song for, audiences like to hear the familiar. So, I would not go TOO obscure, though the previous poster had some good suggestions.

Might depend a little on who your audience is.

Martin Guerre is ok also, I suppose.

[TheaterAddict7652]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 5:33pm

Being Alive from Company

I know someone already said that Being Alive is actually a tenor song, but I wouldn't suggest singing anything Sondheim, since he usually composes for baritones.

Jason Robert Brown composes a lot of great showstopping songs, usually for tenors. I would suggest "Shiksa Goddess" from The Last Five Years, "She Cries" or "King of the World" fron Songs for a New World, or something from Parade.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 5:35pm

johanna
not while i'm around
going down- hair
one song glory

its hard for me to judge since my range covers the full baritone and tenor spectrum, but those should all work

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 5:36pm

Valjean is not a tenor? What is he then, a soprano?

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 5:45pm

The version of BEING ALIVE I am working on is written to only go up to I believe an E. Not sure what the orignal is written as. That's not very high.

And Anthony may be a bari-tenor role. But JOHANNA can be found in the songbooks for baritones. Not tenors.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 5:54pm

The score version of Being Alive does have a G in it on the final "Beeeee-ing£" and then settles on an E to end with.

Any decent tenor or baritone can sing this song. However it takes a special talent to bring the music and lyrics to life.

As for Valjean does it matter whether he is a "tenor" or "baritone"? All these labels are merely a rule of thumb that are extrememly flexible. Even the heaviest voice can belt a high A with the correct technique. Its all about vocal quality.

Would you want someone with Danny Gurwin's vocal quality singing Carousel or Oklahoma? Probably not! Still its a preference. Look at the stick Michael Ceveris has gotten for his Sweeney not being "bass" enough. Total nonsense in my book as I still believed his performance 100%

Slighty off the topic though

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 5:55pm

Any decent tenor or baritone can sing this song. However it takes a special talent to bring the music and lyrics to life.
--

Definitely agree with that.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 6:03pm

I love Patti Lupone's rendition. Bernadette's is pretty good too (even with the little crack at the end).

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 6:21pm

This is The Moment - Jekyll and Hyde

Corner of The Sky - Pippin

Not While I'm Around - Sweeney Todd

Giants In The Sky - Into The Woods

Music Of The Night - The Phantom Of The Opera

Your Eyes, One Song Glory - RENT

Why - Tick Tick BOOM!

[WhenURScrap]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 6:30pm

Kite Song from Charlie Brown . *grins*

How about Mary Sunshines song from Chicago *hehe*

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 7:11pm

"The score version of Being Alive does have a G in it on the final "Beeeee-ing£" and then settles on an E to end with.

Any decent tenor or baritone can sing this song. However it takes a special talent to bring the music and lyrics to life."

Do you mean that any decent baritone should be able to sing a high G? I don't think so.




Anyway,
"On the Street Where You Live" from MFL is quite a showstopper if done well.


Updated On: 4/8/06 at 07:11 PM

Posted: 4/8/06 at 7:28pm

"Your Eyes" from Rent is NOT a show-stopping song. At all.

[Holly Therese]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 7:53pm

I saw Les Mis today, if Bring Him Home isn't a show stopping tenor number, then I don't know what is. Randal Keith had the audience in complete awe.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 8:30pm

his may be a total matter of preference, but what about "Il Mondo Era Vuoto" from Light in the Piazza?


"Yuor Eyes" is only show stoppingin the context of the shop.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 8:37pm

Absolutely!

If you dont have a high G in the business these days you may as well give up and go home.

Only the truest of bass voices would be unable to belt to this note.

Contemporary musical theatre requires baritones to sing/belt to a G and "tenors" from Bflat and above.

I will agree that this what not the cast pre 1980s but things changed. There were even some exceptions before then. Billy Bigelow needs a solid G in him and that is/was a role that was frequently cast with a "baritone" voice.

If you are indeed a "baritone" and cant do that well I suggest get a new voice teacher or perhaps you really are a proper bass.

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 8:43pm

The Soliloquy from "Carousel." That can really stop the show. And John Raitt's tenor is one of the best ever to grace a Broadway stage.

John Raitt is a baritone, not a tenor.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 9:05pm

Thanks mrkringas! I should have been more specific. I consider myself a bass-baritone(low E to high F/F-sharp), but I am aware that there is little work for a bass-baritone in musical theater, so in that context I call myself a baritone.
I have been working on my high G, but it sounds like a cat attempting to commit suicide but failing. I am afraid this will keep me from getting roles despite my otherwise beautiful voice.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 9:27pm

Awww keep at it though. I love a proper bass/baritone voice. Just think of all those revivals you will be perfect for!

Still if its not to be... you cant make the voice do things that are out of range. I am more of a "lyric" baritone who used to dream of being a rock tenor! Still I am happy with my lower range and I can still fake a lot of the contemporary stuff.

But I much prefer good legit singing. Its much more satisfying to perform and you dont have to worry about the pianist not being able to play it!!

[TimmyG]

Posted: 4/9/06 at 1:44pm

O.K. Your' comment is ridiculous. First of all, you definately are not a singer or in musical theatre at all. Secondly, Val Jean sings to a high B, which means it is a tenor role, and the note is meant to be sung FULL VOICE, not falsetto, which also means it's a tenor part. Thirdly, actually fourthly, but you might not have noticed that, the QUALITY of the voice is that of a Tenor--more treble than bass or baritone. So there you have it . . .and before you dismiss my comments, I was in the show, I am a performer, I have been on broadway, and not in the chorus, and you still have no idea what the hell you are talking about.