Songs Never to Audition With...

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 6:26pm

I've heard alot of things about what not to audition with.
-Don't sing Sondheim unless it's for Sondheim.
-No Jason Robert Brown
-People don't want to hear songs from the past 5-10 years

But what if the accopniment (sp) is not that hard, and it shows off your voice really well and you can act it decently? Should you take the chance and sing it?

I'm asking because I'm a 16 year old attractive blonde blue eyed Baritone with a range from a Low D to a G above middle C and I have a strong falsetto. My voice cannot support some of the roles for my type. I can however blow Being Alive and She Cries, and songs like that out the water. But what do I do? Stick with R&H songs and things like that? Updated On: 9/23/04 at 06:26 PM

[xluckystar2107x]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 6:34pm

wow. low voice. I'll ask my voice teacher for you, because she always seems to know what fits peoples voices. I'll get back to you.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 6:36pm

Get the three collections of sheet music for baritones. Lots of great stuff in those.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 6:39pm

Hmm, bwaybound doesn't seem to have a low voice actually. If your low D is the D below middle C, you actually don't fit a typical baritone range. I think, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, that a baritone range is usually a B/B flat an octave below middle C up to an F/G above middle C. You sound like a bari/tenor. Maybe your voice hasn't changed fully? Usually, even a tenor can get down to a B an octave below middle C. I have a B an octave below middle C upto an A above middle C, and I consider myself a bari/tenor. I'm 15 though, and my voice isn't done settling.

As for the songs...
Jason Robert Brown is possible if you can find someone to play the piano part well.
I heard you SHOULDN'T use Sondheim for a Sondheim audition.

Good question though! Updated On: 9/23/04 at 06:39 PM

[wickedkiwi]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 6:52pm

what i've heard is that it's best to audition old type songs rather than pop (like don't audition something from wicked, but maybe pick something from a cole porter show).

aaghhh!!! why not sondheim???

wait, i can answer myself:
- 1) sondheim song themes are really mature, so unless you're going to sing giants in the sky, it'll be really ridiculous if you sing something like every day a little death or marry me a little and you look blatantly 16. it's like a 13 year old singing memories from cats - the auditioner is just going to be thinking "what the hell does SHE know?!"...so try to pick something that fits ur age and body type also, which probably WONT be sondheim (but not necessarily). you want to audition for a type that they can cast you with. even if you make a reaaaallyyy great sweeney todd performance, you will NOT get picked for the role cause you don't look like a demon barber whose lost his wife and been deported to jail for a gazillion years and wants revenge, no matter HOW great you are.

...then again, if you're auditioning for high shcool productions or places where there's no one to play adult roles, then go for it!!

-2) also, its really really really really hard to play sondheim as accompainment and do it well, because a lot of it is interpretational, so the pianist might decide to go somewhere with the song and u wont be prepared for it, or u'll rehearse it a certain way and they'll mess you up. HOWEVER, if u have a cd track made, or a preprecorded piano on tape, then this wont be a problem. if its a capella, be careful, its easy to get pitchy with sondheim, cause a lot of his notes are wierd.


is there another reason for not sondheim?? cause i love it and i'm finally becoming old enough to sing a lot of songs that before would have sounded ridiculous at a professional audition.

[wickedkiwi]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 6:57pm

aaaa also:

- no christina aguilera or etc for ANY stage performance unless its a concert where they WILL need that type of vocalist (the ones with a gazillion pop riffs and tricks that hide a bad singer...not that she's bad or anything but...)
- ur a guy so this may not apply, but do NOT EVER audition with the little mermaid song. its sooooo cliche
-its supposed to be really bad to audition with a song from the musical unless they ask you to, or unless ur really cocky and think they'll cast you anyway
- don't sing really hard impressive songs (think gethsemane) unless you really CAN sing them. an impressive song wont be impressive if you make a mess of it
- maybe sing a style thats similar. for example, if im auditioning for the sound of music, i'll probably take something from my fair lady to my audition. similar styles. or if im auditioning for the wiz, i'll take something from smokey joe's cafe

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 7:01pm

i think you should go with whatever fits your voice..if you think Sondheim shows off your vocals well go for it..i have sang Sondheim at many of my auditions.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 7:06pm

Yeah, and everyone also says not to sing Meadow Lark for an audition and I have about 3 times.

I think you should go with what fits your voice nicely, and the type of music that is going to be in the musical. I would discourage you from using a song from say Rent, or Aida, or Wicked or something that universally known, but it is really up to you. Sometimes, a classic is just better than the new stuff.

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 7:10pm

My range is a B/C 2 octaves below Middle C and the G above it. As for my age, I've been Bud Frump in How To Succeed, and I'm going to be Harry Beaton in Brigadoon, so I can look a little older than I am. Updated On: 9/23/04 at 07:10 PM

Posted: 9/23/04 at 7:35pm

I agree with everyone else:
-don't sing a song from the show unless they ask you to
-sing something in the style of whatever show you are auditioning for (i.e: don't sing something like RENT at a fiddler on the roof audition!)
-Sing something that shows off your voice well, but DO NOT pick a song that is too tricky. If you don't sound good singing it, you'd be better off singing a good version of "happy birthday"
-Try to stay away from things that are on Broadway right now (i.e: Wicked, Rent, etc.) or recent broadway shows (millie, aida, les miz, etc.) Everyone sings them!!!


...so yeah, basically just what everyone else said!

[LuvUrBatBoy]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 8:17pm

You're a guy so this doesnt matter, but girls...listen up...

NEVER AUDITION WITH ALL THAT JAZZ FROM CHICAGO

NEVER AUDITION WITH SOPHIE'S MONOLOUGE FROM STAR SPANGLED GIRL

Both are sure-fire ways to piss the director off!

im done now :)

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 9:01pm

Overdone Monologues:
'Dentity Crisis - Peter Pan
Girl's Guide to Chaos - dating speech
Beyond Therapy - all monologues
Brighton Beach memoirs - all monologues
Fifth of July - all monologues
Wall of Water - last cigarette monologue
Taking With - 15 Minutes
Boys Life - all monologues
Lone Star - Roy's Edith Ellen monologue
Heidi Chronicles - all monologues
A, My Name is Alice - Jockstrap monologue
Laughing Wild - Tuna monologue
P.S. Your Cat is Dead - Swimming Audition monologue
Baby with the Bathwater - all monologues
Star Spangled Girl - all monologues
House of Blue Leaves - all monologues
Romantic Comedy - Marshmallow monologue
Quilters - Sunbonnet Sue
Shadow Box - Beverly
Equus - all monologues
King Lear - Edmond
If I Only had a Brain - all monologues
Little Footsteps - all monologues
I Hate Hamlet - all monologues
Love Minus - If Actors go to Hell monologue

Overdone Songs:
Little Shop of Horrors - all songs
The Fantastiks - all songs
Les Miserables - all songs
Phantom of the Opera - all songs
Evita - all songs
Kiss Me Kate - I Hate Men
Chicago - All That Jazz, I SAY all songs now that the movie came out
South Pacific - Wash That Man...
Show Boat - Can't Help Lovin'...
Sweet Charity - Big Spender
Guy's & Dolls - Adelaide's Lament
A Chorus Line - all songs
City of Angels - You Can Always...
My Fair Lady - all songs
Jekyll and Hyde - all songs
Titanic - all songs
Footloose - all songs
Rent - all songs
Once Upon a Mattress - Shy
Closer than Ever - Miss Byrd
Embracable You (Gershwin) (song)
Anything Goes - I Get a Kick Out of You (from something else, also)

Courtesy of:


http://www.webster.edu/depts/finearts/theatre/mwta04/auddosdonts.htm

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 9:04pm

Are you a guy or a girl?

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 9:09pm

Male

Posted: 9/23/04 at 10:43pm

This is the Moment.
On my own.
Mr Cellophane ( they might believe you).

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 10:52pm

NOT WHILE I'M AROUND (Sondheim) is one of my sure-fire audtion songs.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 9/24/04 at 1:40am

"What I Did For Love" is definitely on the overdone song list. A friend in musical theatre told me that back in the 80's, if someone at an audition started singing "Kiss today goodbye...," the theatre folks would sing amongst themselves, "Kiss the role goodbye...." They were just too damn sick of the song.

Updated On: 9/24/04 at 01:40 AM