~Dancing Through Life~
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West Side Story AuditionI really want to audition for a college performance of west side story but I'm not hispanic and don't look it at all. Does this matter? Are there parts for non-hispanics? Also, what song would be appropriate? I obviously can't go for Maria (b/c of my ethnicity) so for the ensemble would "I Could Have Danced All Night" work? Thanks!!
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Glissando
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The Jets are white, and pretty much all the Jerts have girlfriends that they dance with. And I think that song (I don't feel like typing it out) would be ok
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Eponine93
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"I Could Have Danced All Night" is very overdone. I wouldn't reccomend doing it. I'm not the authority on recommending you another song to do. Definitely post in the audition thread to see if someone who knows a lot about audition songs such as MaryMag or JJLane can help you.
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MaryMag
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I'm white and I'm Anita right now!  Unless you go to a college with an abnormal amount of good Hispanic singers, they will be quite willing to cast a white girl. I live in a VERY hispanic area and we had lots of Hispanic girls audition but none of them could sing at the level the parts are written! So Maria and Anita are plain ol white girls that are gonna do lots of tanning.
Don't limit yourself to auditioning for ensemble. Always aim higher!
I could Have Danced All Night is a good idea because both My Fair Lady and West Side Story are more classic musicals that require a more classical style of singing. However, I Coudl Have Danced All Night does not have the energy WSS requires. WSS is full of anger and death and mambo! I Could Have... is a very restrained, proper, well British song.
I suggest you look at other classic musicals of that period that have a bit more energy and spice in them. I won't tell you outright what song I used, but it was from a classical musical that had a lot of anger in it and showed off my upper range. Maria sings a high C and even Anita sings e's and f's.
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~Dancing Through Life~
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Hi again! Thanks for your help! I'm know thinking I might change "A Change in Me" from Beauty and the Beast or "Someone Like You" from Jekyll and Hyde. Please tell me what one you think would be best ("I Could Have Danced" is still an option) so i can pick it out soon. Thanks again! 
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MaryMag
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| ~Dancing Through Life~ wrote: | | Hi again! Thanks for your help! I'm know thinking I might change "A Change in Me" from Beauty and the Beast or "Someone Like You" from Jekyll and Hyde. Please tell me what one you think would be best ("I Could Have Danced" is still an option) so i can pick it out soon. Thanks again! |
Sadly I don't think either has that classical sound that you need. I'm not talking opera or even operetta, but I'm certainly not talking about anything post 1970. In my humble opinion, you really MUST use a song from a musical written in the 50's or 60's. I get the feeling that your rep does not include enough classic musicals pre-1970 by the greats.
Again in my humble opinion, I actually think the majority of your rep should be pre-1970. Simply cuz most musicals you audition for are going to require those kinds of songs - and this is because most musicals theaters put on are the ones baby boomers and older folks grew up with, because this demographic comprises the largest percentage of theater patrons. Gotta look at this from a business persepctive!
So learn some Bernstein, Rodgers and hammerstein, lerner and loewe, loesser, some early cy coleman maybe, adler and ross, bock and harnick, gershwin, and porter. And that's just a start. But it sounds like you could stand to learn some early stuff, so this is the perfect opportunity for you - you need the song anyway!
Honestly - that's how I built my rep. I never made a list of 15 songs and set out to learn all of them. I just needed 2 songs for every audition I went to and my rep was built 2 songs by 2 songs, every audition I went to. I only just realized I have a "rep" like a month ago. I looked at the aud songs I've used recently and could perform in a heartbeat and realized that's exactly what a "rep" is - a dozen songs you have polished and sitting in your back pocket, ready to go.
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~Dancing Through Life~
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I actually have a huge rep of earlier songs, i just wanted to try something new. And most of my training is actually in opera. do you have any suggestions for this particular audition?
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JIJane
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Right...I would suggest something that shows off your top soprano and is from a so called golden age musical, meaning 1943 - 1968. Definitely something that shows top notes and the same style of singing that is used in West Side Story. For the reasons already mentioned, I could have danced all night and the other songs suggested are not suitable.
Some ideas...
Ballad:
“I have to tell you” from Fanny - has a top A
“I have dreamed” and “We kiss in a shadow” from The King and I
"Till there was you" from The Music Man
Uptempo:
"Many a new day" from Oklahoma or "Out of my dreams" - has a top B
"Falling in love with love" from The Boys from Syracuse
Also check out the musical Charlie Girl for some great soprano stuff.
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~Dancing Through Life~
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I really like the idea of "Till there was you." I totally forgot about this song but I already have the sheet music and everything. Okay, I think I'll probably do this one. Is it better to do than "I Could Have Danced All Night"? I was also thinking of "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma or "Much More" from the Fantasticks. Thanks for everyone's help and please tell what you think of those!!
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JIJane
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| ~Dancing Through Life~ wrote: | | I really like the idea of "Till there was you." I totally forgot about this song but I already have the sheet music and everything. Okay, I think I'll probably do this one. Is it better to do than "I Could Have Danced All Night"? I was also thinking of "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma or "Much More" from the Fantasticks. Thanks for everyone's help and please tell what you think of those!! |
"I Could Have Danced All Night" is an English song and from a quintessentially English musical - so would avoid it for West Side Story. Also, unless you are brilliant at it (your voice has to be at least 25 or you have to be a one off super talent like Julie Andrews or Barbara Cook) - I would not attempt it. Heard so many bad versions over the years as people think it's not that hard - when it's a tough nail of a song!
"People will say we're in love" is good, yes. "Much more" is not really 'classic musical' enough I would say - plus it doesn't show any top notes (doesn't go higher than an E I think) and requires a different voice than the girls in West Side story. So would avoid. And yes, "Till there was you" is more suitable than the My Fair Lady stuff because it's American and not British.
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Anita4ever
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| MaryMag wrote: | | I'm white and I'm Anita right now! |
I'm white, too, and I played Anita. However, I tanned quite a bit before auditions, grew my hair out and permed it, and learned the accent like the back of my hand. Several friends of mine who saw the show said that I was one of the few Puerto Ricans in the cast!
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NoOneMournsTheWicked
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Re: West Side Story Audition | ~Dancing Through Life~ wrote: | | I really want to audition for a college performance of west side story but I'm not hispanic and don't look it at all. Does this matter? Are there parts for non-hispanics? Also, what song would be appropriate? I obviously can't go for Maria (b/c of my ethnicity) so for the ensemble would "I Could Have Danced All Night" work? Thanks!! |
I played Maria. I'm a little Jewish girl. I used a ton of tanning lotion. Anita was Italian. Only two Sharks that weren't hispanic or black, because vocal ability and acting came before ethnicity. For pictures, check the WSS forum.
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thexredxbaron
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| MaryMag wrote: | | WSS is full of anger and death and mambo! |
You just made my night. I have no idea why I found that so entertaining.
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