[Bianca.]

What do you all think are just GREAT songs that people seem to overlook for Auditions? Things you'd like to hear done more, or any 'special weapon' songs you want to share with us all?

One of my favorites is 'Away from you' from Rex

And I've also begun to love everything from the musical 'Steel Pier'

[Sweeney Hyde]

Yours, Yours, Yours from 1776 could easily be changed to a solo, in fact in the vocal selections they have alternate lyrics for just that case. It is such a beautiful love song and I have never heard of anyone using it for an audition.

[Bianca.]

ooh! In that same sense.. could 'Unworthy of your love' from Assassins be transformed as well?

Something about that song just really gets to me

[Sweeney Hyde]

Yes...however I think I would be more difficult as it makes direct refrences to Charlie Manson and the woman the guy is in love with...

[Da_Dark_Dude]

My audition song killer is "confessions of a vampire" from tanz der vampire, couple that with "Haben sie gehort das deutsche bande" from the producers and its a deadly combo

however at my last audition the auditioners asked me 2 sing stars from les mis and i made 2 of them cry... so i think that may be the audition killer song for me...

[MsDivaKate]

I usually break out a bit of Dear World and go with "I've Never Said I Love You".


As for overdone songs that I KILL at and wish I could sing at auditions, pretty much any of Lucy or Emma's from Jekyll and Hyde. Two totally different vocal styles, yet both fit in my voice so nicely. I also love "Only Love" from the Scarlet Pimpernel and its becoming a signature of mine, but I'm not sure if its becoming overdone or not as I've been off the audition circuit for a while. So if anyone knows, fill me in lol

[what_the_heck013]

[Sweeney Hyde]

[what_the_heck013]

[Bianca.]

pssst.. this thread's purpose is to get AWAY from the traditional and overdone.

to talk about the songs and shows that no one ever does.

[MsDivaKate]

[wicked_diva]

Without being on the other side of the table, how do you really find out what is and what isn't overdone? I mean, there's some good rules to follow, obviously (like no Les Mis, Wicked, Phantom, etc) but how else do you tell? I worry about my rep, because it has a fair amount of more recent shows in it, rather than classic musicals... (And I refuse to give up my favorite overdone song - Vanilla Ice Cream).

But for example, if I posted a list of my rep songs, could someone tell me if they are overdone or not? And if they are, what songs should I pick up?

[MsDivaKate]

[julia]

haven't heard it done, so i guess it's underdone...
nobody does it like me from seesaw.

its cute.

[JIJane]

I can only speak for the UK but am happy to look at rep lists and say what is overdone here (not that it probably matters to most US posters here haha). Nobody does it like me for example is very popular in the UK and I would say, overdone.

[MaryMag]

I like to sing a few songs from 50 Million Frenchmen and Nymph Errant. I also use a good comedy song from Most Happy Fella, a ballad from Weird Romance, and a recitative-y thing from Violet. Those are my favorite rarely done songs right now. Not giving you the specific names cuz they're my little gems... except that jazzy hooked me up with the most happy fella one...

[Francois]

I've plugged it several times in the Audition Songs thread, but I really like "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love" from Finian's Rainbow, for a lighthearted men's piece. It's very playful and fun, especially for a young (short) tenor (since it is sung by a Leprechaun!). The first two stanzas are just the right length and have a good "ending". It only goes up to E flat, so light Baritones can do it, as well.

And I have the music...email me if interested

[sunrae]

My fav underdone (I believe) song is "Times Like This" from Lucky Stiff. Most people I know haven't even heard of the show before.

[Dennis Galahad]

I think that "Follow Me" from Camelot is a LOVELY song as well as "I Really Like Him" from Man of La Mancha (come to think of it, anything from MOLM's better than "The Impossible Dream").

[wicked_diva]

Okay, then not to hijack, but this is my rep:

Christmas Lullaby (Songs for a New World)
Fable (Light in the Piazza)
Find Your Grail (Spamalot)
Fine Fine Line (Avenue Q)
Flagmaker, 1775 (Songs for a New World)
Follow Your Heart (Urinetown)
Forget About the Boy (Thoroughly Modern Millie)
Funny (My Favorite Year)
Gooch's Song (Mame)
He Plays the Violin (1776)
Hold On (Secret Garden)
I Speak Six Languages (Spelling Bee)
A Little Bit in Love (Wonderful Town)
Many a New Day (Oklahoma)
The Miller's Son (ALNM)
My White Knight (Music Man)
Notice Me, Horton (Seussical)
Selige Nacht
Simple Joys of Maidenhood (Camelot)
Smanie Impacabili
Still Hurting (L5Y)
Vanilla Ice Cream (She Loves Me)
What a Movie (Trouble In Tahiti)
Whatever Happened to My Part (Spamalot)

I know I will be adding I'll Hit a New High (Fine and Dandy), Nobody Breaks My Heart (Fine and Dandy), Back to Before (Ragtime), and Gimme Gimme (TMM) next semester, as well as about 4 other songs. And I have a couple country songs as well.

My "signature" songs are What a Movie, Funny, Notice Me Horton, Flagmaker, and Find Your Grail. Any help is highly appreciated.

[MsDivaKate]

[wicked_diva]

No, continue please!

As far as accompanying goes, Still Hurting and Christmas Lullaby both have very easy piano parts (I can play them both, and I am by no means a pianist). Flagmaker I know is hard, but as it's one of my special songs, it's going to stay in my resume. If anything, I would think Fable would kill the accompanist. But I don't plan to use it with anyone unless I know they can play it. Luckily, for OCU auditions, I know the accompanist can, but I probably wouldn't use it elsewhere.

So how overdone is Find Your Grail? I didn't know about that one...

[MsDivaKate]

What version of Still Hurting do you have?!??!?!

I have the one from the score and its a monster! And I've been playing piano for nearly 15 years! If I practice it I can do alright, but I can't picture sight reading it.

Christmas Lullaby is probably one of JRB's easier accompaniment parts. With the exception of You Don't Know This Man from Parade.

I think I overlooked Fable on your list before. You're right, it is quite difficult.

The problem with a lot of contemporary scores is that they are extremely challenging for someone to sight read. Pianists can play them no problem, but they need to work them out.

Its always nice to remember to be kind to the accompanist, as sometimes they can make or break your audition.

[SuperKabob]

[wicked_diva]

My Still Hurting is from the L5Y vocal selections book. It's easier for me to play than Christmas Lullaby!

And I actually have marked in my resume which songs are difficult for an accompanist (like What a Movie). Luckily, the OCU audition accompanists seem to have never heard of the word "difficult" so nothing is off-limits to them.

So do you have any other tips? Like any good songs to add to my rep? My range is from E below middle C to B two above middle C. I can belt sometimes, but I have been told that my mix sounds like belting. I'm 19, 5'10" and overweight, if this helps (in other words, I'm not exactly an ingenue...) I consider myself a character actress. Older, more classic songs that show off more soprano range are highly appreciated.

[Holly]

I took a screen shot of what I think looks like pretty damn complicated sheet music (for Still Hurting)...I barely read sheet music, though. Is it the same one?

Here!

edit: And the next page looks even more complicated to me...

[wicked_diva]

No, I think that's the score. This is what I have: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_inside.html?item=4973574&cart=33899870975554376&page=00

[what_the_heck013]

[wicked_diva]

[MsDivaKate]

See that's the easy portion I think.

The part of the music that really gets b*tchy is the lead in to "Give me a day Jamie.." etc. The whole solo accompaniment section. I wish I had my score in front of me.

I'm seriously going to scan it in just to show you what I'm looking at when I'm giving my opinion lol

[wicked_diva]

I know what you're talking about, but I promise, it's not hard. If someone is going out and being an audition accompanist, they should at the very least be able to play it. It's one of the few songs I am really comfortable playing, and I'm not that good.

[MsDivaKate]

Seriously dear, we have totally different scores then. Because that section IS difficult if you are SIGHT READING. After you work it out a bit its better, but your fingers will tend to trip over themselves a bit. I've heard AMAZING pianists struggle through it the first few times they've played it.

Though I really am thinking that we have different versions of the song and you must have a reduced accompaniment, perhaps for audition purposes.

The majority of the song is fairly easy, especially the block chords during the thematic sections of the song. However I'm referring to the section which begins at the pick up to the measure "Go and hide" etc and ends at the lead in into "Give me a day Jamie.."

You also need to keep in mind that songs with a lot of accidentals and key signature/time signature changes are hard on accompanists who are sight reading as well.

When an accompanist is well versed in a piece its different, but when sight reading, please be kind. Not all audition accompanists are young and know many of the contemporary shows. Many of them are older and not as familiar. As its a general rule of thumb to not bring JRB and Sondheim into auditions for the reasons I mentioned in the previous paragraph, its not critical for them to be familiarized with these pieces.

Plus, no offense because I don't know your voice and I'm sure its quite lovely and that you're very talented, L5Y is a show that you better be able to sell it as much as Sherie Renee or any other powerhouse female vocalist who's taken on the role of Cathy, or you shouldn't be singing it.

[what_the_heck013]

[Webster]

[Webster]

My Favorite underdone songs are the gems from absolute flops and songs cut from revised shows hat are brilliant. you have to search hard for them, but, if you find a good one you are golden. I have one or two underdone songs that work like a charm, but too many will make people think you're being original for the novelty of it.

[JIJane]

Ok, this is my opinion:

I think it is important to keep several things in mind.

1. We have to differentiate between songs that are literally done every 3rd audition (Les Mis, Jekyll and Hyde, Anthem for Chess etc.) and songs that are popular - but not ridiculously overdone. In the UK these include for example My white knight, a song I think is suitable to have in your rep as it is not heard at every audition (at least in the UK). Yes, people know it and will have heard it before - but that is ok. You cannot rule out every song as "overdone" just because it is popular and the panel will have heard of it. That is their job, they WILL have heard of most songs as they take hundreds of auditions a year so. It is inevitable. It's ok to do a song that has been heard once that day, it is not a crime. It is not a great idea however to do a song that literally every second person will sing. That is the difference.

2. Looking at reps of young people I am always disturbed that there is a lot of very well-known modern material and nothing "classic". Classic does not necessarily mean Kathryn Grayson, you can do a classic belt nr as well. If anything, make sure you have a good balance of modern and older stuff. Get watching old musicals, listening to old cast recording and ENJOY discovering different musicals. After all, there would be no Wicked had it not been for Showboat and all the other "predecessors". There is more to musical theatre than Jason Robert Brown, I promise. And frankly, if you are not interested in trawling through material and don't enjoy spending hours listening to recordings and artists - then what are you doing wanting to be a professional musical theatre performer???! Don't waste your time and effort and do something else instead.

3. It's not about picking the most obscure song ever or finding the song the panel will "like the most". It's about finding a song that suits YOU, shows off your talent to a "t" and what YOU specifically have to offer as an artist. In order to find this, you need to do your research. During your research, you will come across shows and songs that are not as popular as the obvious stuff and you will click with certain songs that (shock horror) you may like equally as much as The Wizard and I or Light in the Piazza. One person who did this very early on and was very succesful was Barbra Streisand. Check out her first three albums and the songs she used in her early night club acts. She spent days trawling through old records and watching old movies to find material with the help of her musical director friends. Finding a rare song and making it your own or your "trademark" is one way of standing out from the crowd - of course you need the talent to back it up as well.

4. If you do decide to pick a well-known number make sure it is AGE APPROPRIATE (The last five years just should NOT be sung by people at or just having graduated from high school, same for Adelaides lament for example) and that you are equally good, if not better than the person currently doing it on Broadway. Or you do something so completely different with the song that it does not matter. You will for sure be compared if you pick something well-known so you have to make sure your version is the best - or most different and unique - that day. It's the QUALITY of your performance that will differentiate you from all the others in this case. The panel may be totally sick of Wicked but if you really can sing it better than anyone else out there and PROFESSIONALS have told you so....go for it. Just be sure you have something obscure to contrast!

5. If you are auditioning (especially for colleges) and pick a well known song that you just think is perfect - fine but make sure you have several other songs on offer for the panel that are very different. Let the panel choose to make sure they want to hear a well-known song. I have often gone to auditions and offered obscure stuff but the panel picked I could have danced all night. Horses for courses. It is important to have a selection available to A) To show you have a contrast and B) most importantly, to show you have done your research and after trawling through endless shows and songs....STILL believe that a certain well-known number represents you best. Be prepared though to answer questions and possibly accept criticism if you choose this route.

6. Overdone material in your rep is not a bad thing! You will need it for some auditions, I have often gone to audiitons where they specifically ask for "popular" or "well known current" songs. Definitely keep them in your rep. However, they should not be the ONLY thing or the majority in your rep.

TIP! There is a reason why overdone songs are overdone...usually they are excellent songs. There is a reason why some songs were cut and got lost in time. They were probably not such good songs. I realise I am generalising and there are some gems of lost songs around, however I think it is important to not see overdone songs as "bad" songs.

In the end, the panel are not necessarily interested in hearing the most bizarre cut lost in Boston (excuse the pun) number that has never been performed before at an audition. All they want to see is a performer who knows what pieces suit him/her, who presents their pieces well and has their own STYLE.....and who has done their research so as not to sing the obvious material out of a) laziness or b) ignorance - two qualities that are impossible to inhabit as a performer of any kind if you want to be any good at what you do.

That's my two cents worth...for more info, buy my book as detailed below.

[Bianca.]

If everything else you've said on this forum wasn't enough to convince me to buy your book already, that right there would have sold me.

[christinadaae]

[JIJane]

For book details please email soyouwanttotreadtheboards@gmail.com

Also, it's in my signature.

And thanks Syrso.

[chicsta]

[christinadaae]

So have we nixed "Little Bit in Love" from "Wonderful Town" I think its a standout song from a terrible musical, and it works well for the parts that I'm always up for.

[MsDivaKate]

[Vice]

I personally LOVE "There's Me" and "U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D." from StEx and "Sally's Song" and "Jack's Lament" from Nightmare Before Christmas. StEx is almost nonexistant in the US, and people don't really expect me to pull out an NBC song.


I just need to be REALLY careful where I use "U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.".

[Bagel]

[Holly]

Hey, while we're on the subject of rarely done/overdone songs, is Urinetown generally overdone? Every other school in the country has done it recently, but I've never heard it generally considered a "no."

I mean, it might be pretty weird to bring out "It's a Privilege to Pee" at an audition, but if it suits the show...I really love "Tell Her I Love Her," though.

[opheliarose]

[allygator]

[MaryMag]

[broadwayxdoll]

i do notice me hotton quite a bit and seem to get good results every time

[Patrick]

Highest Judge of All - Carousel (main one)
I Have Dreamed - TKaI
Molasses to Rum - 1776 (secondary)
Piddle Twiddle and Resolve - 1776
Something Was Missing - Annie
Lament - Dragons, Snakes, and Stars
Lees of Old Virginia - 1776
Is Anybody There? - 1776
Me - BatB

pretty much all of 1776

[MaryMag]

Wow, since Patrick resurrected this thread, I'll add I've recently fallen in love with Baker's Wife. And Kismet is great too,.

[Elphaba22]

my favorite unknowns are:
Fancy Meeting You Here from Lucky Stiff (I just start at 'Hi, fancy meeting..." and cut the monologue in the middle)
Nobody Does it Like Me from Seesaw
I like Poor Little Hollywood Star from Little Me, and Somebody Somewhere from The Most Happy Fella but i think those are getting done more these days
Wherever He Ain't from Mack and Mabel

Three that i love to use, but aren't unknowns:
Notice Me Horton - Seussical
Waiting for Life - Once on this island
Follow Your Heart - Urinetown