Today, we continue our search for alternative sources of musical theatre audition material.  In the future, I will talk about Pop/Rock in general, but today I want to pull a few select entertainers from the genre as examples of “Musical Theatre-Esque” work.  And in fact, many of the people I am singling out today have indeed composed musical theatre pieces.  There is an inherent theatricality to some or all of their work and it’s worth checking out when building your book.

Elton John in 1977

Did someone say, “inherent theatricality?”

Sir Elton John

Baz Luhrmann knew what he was doing.

First and foremost I should say Elton John IS a musical composer, so there’s that.  He wrote Aida, The Lion King, Billy Elliot, and the film The Road to El Dorado. But make no mistake, his work outside the musical theatre is absolutely worth digging into.

He’s prolific.  Yahoo narrowed his work down to not 10, not 20, but Elton John’s Top ONE HUNDRED songs.  I dare you not to find something. “Philadelphia Freedom” sounds like an act one opener.  “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” sounds like an Act Two ballad.  Like most of the writers I mention today, he composes and performs his work on the piano making the transition to the audition room far easier than other piano-translated instrumention.  (See my note on the pitfalls of guitar to piano notation in the post A Custom Tailored Vet.)

Billy Joel

Twyla Tharp made a shrewd decision when she decided to build her musical theatre piece, Movin’ Out around the characters from “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.”  The song itself is nearly a mini musical.  It has plot, movements, and stakes.  A lot of Billy Joel’s work has that perspective, aside from the pieces used in Movin’ Out.  And, like Elton John, he is first and foremost a pianist, so the work automatically translates to the audition room quite well.

Songs like “Vienna,” “She’s Always a Woman to Me,” and “James” could easily find a home in the right actor’s audition book.

This list by Vulture is unintentionally but perfectly curated musical theatre audition material.

Carole King

Most people know Carol King for her earthy seventies masterpiece, Tapestry.  Tapestry itself is great audition material.  But her work extends far beyond this one album.  King wrote hits for other performers such as “Some Kind of Wonderful”,  “The Locomotion”,  and my personal audition book workhorse, “Natural Woman.” She even wrote the score to the the television special musical, “Really Rosie.” Much of her work is honest, a bit raw, and has perspective that is very actor-friendly.  Lots of direct address.  Piano-based accompaniment.  Three-dimensional.

And here’s the best part:  She’s still working today.  Check out her website for the latest.

Randy Newman

Randy Newman has written far more than just catchy cartoon movie themes.  He has scored multiple films, and composed many pop hits.  He is one of my personal favorite audition resources.  His work is earthy, sometimes profound and dates back well into the 60’s.

Paul Williams

You may not be as familiar with the name Paul Williams, but  I assure you you know his work:

  • “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” – Performed by The Carpenters
  • The score of movies like A Star is Born (1976)
  • The theme to The Love Boat

or perhaps you’re familiar with this little ditty:

That’s right, Paul Williams scored The Muppet Movie, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas.  He also wrote one of my personal childhood favorites and absolutely a true musical:  Bugsy Malone.  Williams sound is very Americana, but what’s cool about it is that it shows up in so many different forms.  The Muppet Movie is sort of folksy, while Bugsy Malone is that early jazzy twenties sound.

Check him out for something a little off the beaten path.

Burt Bacharach

Another bonafide musical theatre composer, Bacharach penned Promises, Promises and The Boy from Oz.  He scored one of my all time favorite movies, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid including “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.”  He also wrote half the songs used in My Best Friend’s Wedding.  He wrote for everyone from Dionne Warwick to Johnny Mathis to Tom Jones to Neil Diamond.

The Care and Keeping of Singer/Songwriters

https://i0.wp.com/news.uwlax.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/springawakening.jpg

Don’t feel limited to the list of examples I provided above.  Singer/Songwriters in general – as they are already “slashies” – like to stretch their wings.  I give you Dunkan Shiek and Spring Awakening or Dennis DeYoung and his musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Here are a few notes on preparing these types of pieces:

  • Singer/Songwriter non-MT pieces can be “gendered” anyway you want.  Don’t hesitate to change “he’s” to “she’s” or whatever perspective you want to sing from.
  • Do yourself the favor of choosing a song that uses direct address as opposed to telling a story (I know, I know, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” is nearly the definition of story song.  However, the strongest cut for audition purposes is direct address (starts at 1:43): “Things are okay with me these days.  Got a good job. Got a good office.  Got a new life.  Got a new wife and the family is fine…”)Whereas “Piano Man”, while it is present tense, is a little harder to dig into as an actor from an acting perspective because it’s a story with no specific intended receiver.
  • Make sure you add what is missing: given circumstances and high stakes.  Who are you speaking to?  What do you need from them?  What happens if you don’t get it?  Check out my section on How to Prepare a Showstopper for more prep advice. Life or death.  It’s always life or death.  Otherwise, why are we watching?
  • The key to using the work of a singer/songwriter is to simplify.  Eva Cassidy’s version of Sting’s  “Fields of Gold” is a great example.

    One voice.  One guitar.  (This song is also a good example of a guitar piece that would translate well to piano notation.” Nearly without exception (okay, maybe Carol King and Randy Newman) these guys are already flash glitter and sass.  You can’t compete with that, particularly in an audition room where it will be as low tech as you can go.  Ergo, make these pieces simple and honest.  “Characterized by intensity of feeling or quality,” is, in fact, the definition of profound.

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