spazzana
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PassionI thought I would try posting here since people who look at the Audition forum don't seem that responsive to anything about Sondheim!
I am desperate to get the role of Fosca in Passion. We have to sing another Sondheim song at the auditions. I am debating over 3 songs: Being Alive, Losing my My, and I Remember. I would do a cut version - not the whole thing. Any thoughts on the best choice??
Thanks.
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spazzana
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OOPSThat should have been "Losing My Mind" - Duh!
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Silverweed
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Just out of curiosity, how old are you?
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Barberous
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Personally I'd choose one of the other two - not 'Losing My Mind' - because I think Fosca sees her obssessive behaviour as being perfectly reasonable. But it could work if it was sung as "I have an annoying, creepy obsession with you... isn't that romantic? Plus there's another reason for YOU to feel sorry for ME!"
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dolbinau
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This is off topic, but since I guess you're interested in Passion you might want to know (in case you don't already) Donna Murphy does an EXCELLENT performance of "Losing my Mind" on the wall to wall Sondheim highlights concert CD.
I don't know much about auditions, but if you want to take an uninformed opinion I would say "I remember" out of those choices...though not sure if it shows sufficient range?
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Silverweed
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| Barberous wrote: | | I think Fosca sees her obssessive behaviour as being perfectly reasonable. But it could work if it was sung as "I have an annoying, creepy obsession with you... isn't that romantic? Plus there's another reason for YOU to feel sorry for ME!" |
Fosca definitely knows that her behavior is unreasonable.
FOSCA: Give me a kiss. Yes, I know a woman shouldn't ask such a thing. A woman shouldn't have followed a man here. But given my appearance, I don't behave as other women do.
She knows that her obsession is out of whack, but she doesn't care. She is desperate and feels that she has nothing to lose.
And she absolutely doesn't think of her feelings as being romantic. She doesn't simply want Giorgio. She sees love as being something that a person needs, like food and water---not an indulgence. Yet she loves him so unconditionally that she would die for him. Nothing romantic about that.
Loving you is not a choice,
It's who I am.
Loving you is not a choice,
And not much reason to rejoice...
I will live and I would die for you.
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Barberous
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Perhaps our views on Fosca aren't very different, but we're just expressing them in different ways. IMO Fosca sees her looks, past, health etc as extenuating circumstances, which make her behaviour reasonable (for a person in her position). She feels that, given her appearance, she has the 'right' not to act as other women do. But I do agree that she is aware that her behaviour is out there by normal standards.
I personally think that she does view her feelings and behaviour as being romantic. Misery can be seen as romantic, sympathetic, passionate, etc. I figured that that was why she keeps telling him the details of her tormented existence and of her feelings for him, because she hopes that it will come across as romantic. I don't remember the show all that well so might be off base here, but that's what I thought it was like.
Anyway, what I meant about the song was, I imagine it would only work for Fosca if her focus was on trying to affect Giorgio through the song, rather than on honest self-analysis. Perhaps a self-analysis interpretation could work if she was alone, but not if there's a "you" right there who she's singing to.
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