Thought I might steer away from the Tony's for a bit.
Pretty straightforward question. If Wicked shuts down next year, will it's songs be performable? Will it be considered as an overdone musical i.e. On My Own, Tomorrow? What about Phantom? Assuming it'll shut down in the very near future. Will Christine's songs be held as standards, challenging repertoire?
What will be a standard Broadway piece for auditions and performances?
Also, I was just wondering something. Even though overdone songs like On My Own are advised against, how often are they really used? Everyone says not to use them, so wouldn't it make it very uncommon?
Please don't EVER sing Les Miz songs in an audition. As soon as auditors hear the first bar, their eyes glaze over, knowing the misery that is to come. Those songs were so done to death during the entire run of that show, they've become universally hated.
I ask in all honesty/What would life be?/Without a song and a dance, what are we?/So I say "Thank you for the music/For giving it to me."
I'm not asking for audition songs. But will the songs that Graydon sings become "okay" in the future? Or will they still be overdone. We've got great songs that aren't used very often. So what will these be in the future? And what will the "On My Own"s of the future be?
Hairspray may soon become overdone, I would say. I mean it's good, but it would have to be to take it to "done-all-the-time" territory. (Except "Memory," of course!) It's well liked, and new, so everyone will say, "I should do this - they've probably never heard this at an audition!" But soon, they will have.
But don't get me wrong - Hairspray will be a musical classic in 10-15 years.
"Who is Stephen Sondheim?" -roninjoey "The man who wishes he had written Phantom of the Opera!" - SueleenGay
"Off to Massachusetts" - Little Women "Astonishing", "Better" - Little Women (actually, most of Jo's songs...now that I think about it) "Oklahoma?" - DRS (good character one) "Forget About the Boy" - Millie
Astonishing is a great but difficult song. There could be some great audition songs from that show. For boys or girls. "Take a Chance on Me" could become standard or "How I am".
The only people who don't do Les Miz etc. are the people who know theatre. Probably big, Broadway auditions don't hear so much of it, but it is always advised against to people who ask for opinions. But if you wen to a community theatre or something, you would hear it all the time.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
When I was listening to the Little Women soundtrack, I was thinking at almost every song, "This would make a GREAT audition song."
And to the commonly used song issue, so are community theatre people just..inexperienced? That they would choose such a commonly used song to torture the auditors with? Shouldn't they know better, even if it is just community theatre? For my coming audition, I stand out because I'm doing something from The Wild Party, while other teenage girls might do "Defying Gravity" (dear...god...) or a Les Miz song. However, will the college students (17-21) know better and do something else? Since they have more experience under their belt, they'd probably pick a more uncommon, good audition song. So does the entire thing depend on experience and common sense?
One of my favorites songs to audition with is the Life of the Party from the Wild Party. I always get a reeeeeaaaalllly good reaction from the auditioners, especially since 70% at least are doing All That Jazz, On My Own, Popular, Gimmie Gimmie, etc... I've used My Strongest Suit a couple times but I'm growing a little wary of its strong pop sound. I agree, majority of Little Women's songs could be auditioned with, though I doubt it would very often be done well.
SoDisgusticified, I'm using the Life of the Party for my upcoming audition. I probably would've used Strongest Suit, but the actual production IS Aida, and I'm not sure if I should audition with a song from the production.
I will be the king of Broadway and produce "Rural City Folk: A New Space Rock Opera" based on the songs of Bruce Springstein starring Ashton Kutcher and Paris Hilton at the Starbucs Theatre on Panasonic St.!!! It WILL happen because I have all the money.
since we are on the topic of audition songs... would singing something from "Carrie"..yes. "Carrie." if you could get the music and have the range for it...
would that be acceptable for somewhere like CCM for a college audition? They dont want overdone....
Hehe. Um...I have music from Carrie...and I use it at auditions. Especially the "Carrie" song ....you know, the "Carrie, I am the sound of distant thunder..." song:) People ask what its from and when I tell them, it always gets a great reaction.:)