Overused Audition Songs?

[flyinghighwithwicked]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 5:25pm

I'm an 18 year old guy that will be auditioning for Musical Theatre programs across the country starting in November, and I have a list of Audition Songs that I have accumulated over the last few months that fit my voice and such, but I don't know what will be overdone, or what would be good material. I'm about 5' 10", blonde, physically fit, and I have pretty good range. Here's the list:
Anthem (Chess)
Luck Be A Lady (Guys and Dolls)
What Kind of Fool am I and Nothing Can Stop Me Now (Stop the World, I Want to Get Off)
Dreamer in Disguise (Carrie)
What Do I Need With Love and I Turned the Corner (Millie)
Purpose (Aveune Q)
Giants in the Sky (Into the Woods)
Grand Knowing You (She Loves Me)
That Face and I Wanna Be a Producer (The Producers)
I Believe in You (H2$)
Put on Your Sunday Clothes (Hello Dolly)
You Are for Loving (Best Foot Foward)

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!!

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 5:37pm

Google "overused audition songs" and you'll see what all of the programs are saying.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 5:46pm

Just don't doing do anything from ALW or Wicked. Stay away from popular musicals. You will probably be laughed out of the audition if you do anything from Les Mis or Phantom. Evita is a no no. No Sondheim unless they call for it. Do something that fits YOU.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 6:10pm

http://auditioningforcollege.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/do-not-lists/

[kieranbec]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 6:11pm

From your list, I would nix "Anthem," "Luck Be a Lady," Both of the Millie songs, and "Giants in the Sky."

[BewareTheUndertoad]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 6:16pm

From your list, I'd only use:
"Dreamer in Disguise"
"Grand Knowing You"
"Put on Your Sunday Clothes"
"You Are for Loving"

I don't know "Dreamer in Disguise" or "You Are for Loving" so I can't comment on the quality haha

But the rest of your songs are done pretty regularly.

One would think "Sunday Clothes" would be overused but I've actually never seen it at an audition and it's got great 8, 16 and 32 bar cuts!

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 6:46pm

The goal of an audition song isn't to pick something that no one has heard of before from an obscure musical that had a 2 month run in Seattle. Not that you've done that, I just want to make sure that people posting lists of "overdone" songs doesn't dissuade you from what you have and make you look for something overly obscure.

Similarly, the goal isn't to guess what songs the casting director has heard before in their careers and find something they haven't.

Most importantly: find songs that fit your range. You say you have a "pretty good range." What does that mean? Clearly your voice sounds better on certain songs and pick songs that fit that style. Age is also important. Some songs work beautifully for younger people and seem corny for older people. Similarly, songs that work well for older people can be precocious and make you seem phony if you're too young.

The show is also important. If you're auditioning for a part in Showboat, it probably doesn't make sense to sing a song from Passing Strange. Also, where are you auditioning? High school, college, regional, community, Broadway, touring production? It makes a big difference. In a high school audition, a song from "Les Mis" could be bold and powerful whereas anywhere else it will be cringe worthy.

Yes, some songs are overdone and you should avoid them but it's much more important you find songs that fit the above-mentioned criteria. If you answer those questions it will be much easier to help you narrow down your list.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 10:02pm

"Nothing Can Stop Me Now" is from THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD, not STOP THE WORLD.

Not a big error: same period and composer and lyricist. But I don't want you to be embarrassed by attributing the song to the wrong show if you are asked what you will be singing.

BTW, if you can sing Anthony Newley songs, I think you have more than a "pretty good range".

----

broadwaydevil makes a great point: if you only get 16 bars to sing, you don't want your listeners thinking, "What song is that? Where is from? Have I heard it before? Is it Wildhorn? No, I think it might be from LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA--oops, audition is over. Who was that?"

Updated On: 6/4/13 at 10:02 PM

[flyinghighwithwicked]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 11:02pm

@GavestonPS Thanks wow that's embarassing! haha! I don't know why I typed that. Broadway Guy, thanks, yeah Wicked is my favorite show but I would never sing anything from it at an audition. Or Phantom or Les Mis ;D

broadwaydevil It's not my goal to pick shows that are obscure for the sake of doing so, but in these auditions you only get so much time to show them who you are as a performer and I want to show them that I know more than what was written in the last few years. The challenge for me is finding songs that show strong character as opposed to a narrative. I've used "I'm Alive" and "Goodbye" for countless community stuff,I love them and they have gotten me far, but they are both very narrative as opposed to statements about who the character is, which is what I think is important in a 3 minute audition!


Thank you all so much for your help!

[Jon]

Posted: 6/5/13 at 8:26am

As the musical director at an Equity theatre for 30 years, I will tell you two things:

1. Nobody ever got a part because their choice of audition song was unique or clever.

2. Nobody ever didn't get a part because their choice of audition song was "overused".

If you can look the part, can act the part, and can sing the part, you have a good chance of getting the part, no matter what you sing at the audition.

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/5/13 at 9:48am

You said that you're auditioning for schools (MT programs), not a role, which I think makes a difference. Under these circumstances, the panels will be more focused on you, as a person and potential student in their program, rather than you as a specific character in a show.

I think you should take a little bit of pressure off yourself and not worry about how many times the panel has heard a song (see Jon's advice).

I think your only focus should be on whether/not you can walk away from the panels knowing that you've left the clearest example of your skills. Whatever song helps you demonstrate that is the right one. Updated On: 6/5/13 at 09:48 AM