Infamous Flops. Source: newyork.com
I want you to know I suffered for this post. I listened to a A LOT of shitty music. Via Galactica, anyone? Yeesh.
We’ve all heard the apocryphal tales: the shows that closed during previews, the dismal failures, the productions that never made it to the Great White Way… if you are a musical theatre producer, you may want to take heed. But as an actor? Pay no damn mind, girl (or boy). These trainwrecks can be GOLDMINES for auditioning. Think about it: two of the biggest Broadway flops were Merrily We Roll Along and Anyone Can Whistle: amazing, inherently audition-worthy songs in both pieces. Another great example is Schwartz’s The Baker’s Wife. The book has a lot of issues, but there is no denying Meadowlark is a bonafide showstopper. Even the super stinky numbers from a flop can be useful. The use of good ol’ irony can put a comic spin on an originally earnest piece. I give you Frankenstein: The Musical.
A Note on Obscurity: I don’t think it’s necessary to stress too much about whether or not a piece is “overdone.” Back before the musical theatre types really got kicking on the Internet (a time I actually remember God help me) “overdone” was more of an issue because we had less access to the lesser-known stuff. There was just less to choose from for your average Joe. Now, we’ve got the whole world at our fingertips and actors are absolutely taking advantage.
That said, I am often stunned at the lack of creativity in some actor’s books. Remember, the whole point is to show your weird self off. And honey, we are ALL weird in some way. Worry less about “overdone,” and worry more about personal authenticity. That simply can’t be replicated.
Flop mining can become a bit overwhelming. So I’ve provided a few examples that might get your gears turning. We’ve got The Bombs, The Buried, The Off-Broadway and The Offbeat. So put on your hard hats and be careful what you step in…
THE BOMBS
“Stop Time” from Big
“Hard to Be a Diva” from Starmites. (Love Lansbury’s descripton in this grainy clip). Belters? Go to 3:00 in for the number.
“It’s No Problem” from High Fidelity. Cute comedy piece.
“Words, Words, Words” from Witches of Eastwick
THE BURIED
Meet Blossom Dearie, one of my heroes, singing “Give Him the Ooh La La” from Dubarry Was a Lady
Audra McDonald sings “A Sleepin’ Bee” from House of Flowers
Here’s a piece from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn the Musical called “I’ll Buy You a Star”. Gotta tell ya, this would be such a sweet piece for the right guy.
THE OFF-BROADWAY
“If I Sing” from Closer Than Ever
“The Same Old Music” from Vanities
“The Role of a Lifetime” from Bare: A Pop Opera
THE OFFBEAT
Don’t forget the movies, y’all! Here are some numbers from Cult Classics:
The next time I hire somebody to transcribe for me, it might be this:
“Please, Mr. Jailer” from Cry Baby
“Infected” from Repo! The Genetic Opera
And of course, “Sweet Transvestite” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
RESOURCES
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops
New York City Center: Encores!
Here in Chicago, spend a rainy afternoon perusing the 8th floor of the Harold Washington Library. It’s packed with highlights and scores of forgotten musicals, cast recordings, and practice rooms. One of my favorite places in the whole city. Time just goes away there.
Youtube. You simply can’t beat it for instant access to these types of shows and numbers.
*****
Flops, the Forgotten, and the Fantastic are all wonderful ways to expand your knowledge of what’s out there, and really find something that shows off exactly who you are and all the wonderful talent you bring to the room. I hope this inspires you to get a little outside your comfort zone and dig around in the muck. After all, you can’t grow a garden without getting a little dirty.
The most iconic form of contrast in all of theatre (and film, and other performing arts) is comedy vs drama. As such, it is not uncommon to be asked to bring in a comedic piece.
But here’s the thing, a lot of “comedic” pieces are…how shall I say?…not funny. Either the humor is dated, or you can’t get the timing right, or it’s just … not funny. Often, in musical auditions you will see, instead of true comedy, a piece that is identifiable only as definitively Not Dramatic. It’s not funny, per se, but it is also Not Dramatic– Just light-hearted fluff that’s fun. I have no issue with these types of pieces, but when true comedy is asked for, true comedy should be received.
How?
Well, there are several ways.
3 Strategies for Finding the Funny
1. Funny Roles and Funny Shows. The number one way is to find a piece that is actually funny, Duh, right? But many times when an actor searches for a truly funny piece, they quickly become frustrated. (Ask anybody who’s ever searched for a contemporary comedic monologue.) Using my sourcing technique I presented in LINK [You Need A Hero], let’s take a look at the truly funny performers and truly funny roles in musical theatre (a sampling, of course.)
Funny Performers
- Elaine Stritch
- Carol Burnett
- Dorothy Loudon
- Sid Caesar
- Nathan Lane
- Madeline Kahn
- Faith Prince
- John Lithgow
- John Leguizamo
- Sutton Foster
- Josh Gad
- Andrea Martin
- Ann Harada
Looking up their resumes just might reveal a role, and subsequently a song that would work perfectly for you.
Funny roles
- Eulalie Mackecknie and Mayor Shinn in The Music Man
- Most roles in The Drowsy Chaperone
- Little Shop of Horrors
- Book of Mormon
- 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
- Spamalot
- The Producers
- Avenue Q
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
- Kiss Me Kate – You may groan but “I Hate Men,” “Always True to You” and “Too Darn Hot” as well as “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” have the potential to be uproarious in the right hands.
- Guys and Dolls
In fact, Here is a highly opinionated but well thought out list of The 100 Funniest Musicals Ever. Dig in.
2. Miscasting. I always suggest that if a little girl sang “Old Man River,” it would be hilarious. An old man with a big bass voice singing “Younger Than Spring Time” would be a delight. Alan Rickman singing “Popular” would be a triumph. Kristin Chenoweth singing “Poor Judd is Daid” would be…weird. And awesome.
My husband, who has a deep understanding of the absurd, has suggested that a real brosef type singing “I Dreamed a Dream” from a sort of Danny Zucco “Summer Lovin’ had me a blast,” perspective would be brilliant. I agree.
This is also an example of educated rule-breaking. “I Dreamed a Dream?! It’s so overdone!” Yes. But not by this guy:
She was gone when Autumn came, bra.
3. Out of Context. I’ve been working on a psychotic version of “Don’t Worry Baby” by the Beach Boys. Picture a disturbed Annie Wilkes (Misery) or Alex Forrest (Fatal Attraction) singing an intense, “Don’t worry baybeeeee….everything will turn out alright….” In general, adding a psychotic or creepy tone can be instant comedy. I feel “Unusual Way” from Nine has this potential.
“Well, it’s been building up inside of me for, oh, I don’t know how long…” (Source: Hollywood News)
Flipping the sentiment of any song can be hilarious. Here is Meg Ryan singing, “I Love Paris in the Springtime”:
I feel, for the sake of the divine art of comedy, a lyric change or two could be delightful.
When it comes to comedy, I recommend putting your singer ego away a bit.
Sometimes you just need to sacrifice sound for humor.
Making the not so pretty choice, often results in stronger comedy. There are certainly exceptions to this:
But generally speaking, going for the laugh is more important than vocal quality when dealing with comedy.
A note: when miscasting, taking things out of context and trying to tell the other side of the story: Ironically, it’s best if you stick to non-comedic pieces, generally speaking. That isn’t to say a lighthearted piece couldn’t work: A Harley type guy singing “The Lonely Goatherd” would be divine. Just keep your wits about you.
Now here’s the key to all of comedy. Really. This is THE THING:
YOU HAVE TO COMMIT. And you have to be INCREDIBLY specific. Yes, we are talking about taking some rather large risks here, and there will be a temptation to sort of ease yourself in or to make vague choices. Don’t make that mistake. The material can’t speak for itself when it comes to comedy. This is why comedy can be so scary. Commit to your choices with all your heart and soul. Weak choices mean no laughs.
Be willing to walk right off the damn cliff.
You may fail, but I promise, you will live.
Tomorrow we talk about Part Two of your “A” Book – “Me” Pieces, Type Songs and Filling in the Gaps.
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Authentic Auditioning 