Okay, now that we’ve covered sources and categories of repertoire, let’s get practical and start putting your book together!
I tried to come up with a lovelier name for this activity but it’s a song dump. Ain’t no gettin’ around that. The song dump is kind of a weekend project sort of thing. I do it about once a year. Or you could be in constant song dump mode. Always weeding and assessing. It just sort of depends on if you are a vigilante auditioner or a set it and forget it type. I’m more of a set it and forget it. Then assess it once a year.
Source: Colorado.edu
To song dump, gather everything. EVERYTHING you are considering for your A or B Book. Sometimes this is physical sheet music. Sometimes it’s mp3’s or little notes you’ve written yourself. Perhaps you’ve checked out some scores from the library.
1. Try them out. In your living room. In auditions. With a coach. With a friend. Try them on for size. Play with different cuts. And then pay attention to how you feel. Do you enjoy singing this piece? Does it help you access something? As a bad example, I will immediately cry upon singing ‘Somewhere Out There’. This song is not in my book. It doesn’t harness workable emotion. It harnesses childhood memories that leave me a helpless puddle on the floor. ‘Not a Day Goes By’ however gets me on a deep level, but it gives me things to work with and struggle against.
Source: Sheet Music Plus
2. Assess Potential Cuts and Audition-Worthiness. There are some songs, as marvelous as they are, that are just not auditionable. They don’t cut well. They might be repetitive. Most (not all) of the pieces in your entire reperetoire shouild cut well into 32 and/or 16 bars. Almost every piece in your A Book should do this. (24 or 48 bars are less common, but also workable). It isn’t so much about a somewhat arbitrary amount of bars. It’s that 16 bars usually takes around 30 seconds and 32 takes about a minute. If you’ve got 48 bars that comes in around a buck fifteen, that’s totally fine most of the time.
3. Begin to categorize individual pieces into your A Book and your B Book. The more you whittle, the more obvious the potential function of each piece will become. Pick your priorities. Below I am going to list the categories we’ve covered in this series. You decide which ones you care about and which ones you don’t. Remember, most pieces can and SHOULD cover more than one category. There is absolutely no need for each category to require it’s own stand alone piece to be fulfilled. That would be impractical and unweildy. YOu need to be able to carry your repertoire around with you. Categories in Bold indicate common “A” Book categories.
- Showstopper (Contemporary and/or Classic)/Upbeat Belt
- Ballad – Classic (Legit/Mix)
- Ballad – Contemporary (Belt)
- Upbeat – Legit/Mix/Swing Ballad
- Sondheim
- Rodgers and Hammerstein
- Porter/Gershwin/Berlin
- Gilbert and Sullivan or Operetta
- Comedic
- “Me” Song
- “Me” Song
- Type Song
- Type Song
- Jazz or Torch
- Patter
- Special Skill(s)
- Novelty
- Turn of the 20th Century through 1918/WW I
- 20’s/30’s
- 1940’s
- Golden Age – Upbeat
- Golden Age – Ballad
- Great American Songbook (See Jazz/Torch)
- 1950’s/Early 60’s Pop
- Rock Piece/Rock Musical
- Pop Piece/Pop Musical
- High Belt/Rangey
- Country
- Gospel/Religious
- Holiday
- Folk/Specific Cultural Tradition
- Patriotic
Another way to think of this exercise is to pretend you are building your big album. What do you want to record? What do you want to show off? Take a look at the solo albums of Broadway stars. They are often structured in a manner not unlike audition repertoire. You’ll see Showstoppers, dramatic ballads, upbeat comic numbers, alternatively sourced pieces, rewritten or rearranged classic, torch, and quirky novelties.
An alternative way to “song dump” is to come up with your own list of priorities. Put all my categories and suggestions aside. Start from scratch. What do you need a song to do? Make a list of features or purposes that these pieces need to serve specifically for you. This is how I used to song dump so I’ll give you some examples.
- Earthy/Mellow sound – I have a warm voice that sounds jazzy/torchy instead pop-belty. I like songs that show that off.
- Non-ingenue – minus a couple well-considered examples in my past, I am not ingenue material.
- Has depth – As an actor, I like a lot of levels to chew on. I like my drama complex and my comedy clever (as opposed to cute)
- Shows off upper range
- Shows off lower range
- Villain – I love to play villains
- Sassy
- Good beat changes/tactic changes
Basically I end up coming with 20 or so “traits” that songs could have that I look for. Not all songs can be everything, but if they are at least half the things, they are usually keepers. You can combine this method with the more traditional categorical method I list above. This is a good secondary editing method for when you feel like you have way too many options to lug around with you. It’s also a good way to suss out when something is missing. You’ve got high belt. You’ve got classics. You got a mix of eras, and comedy and drama. But there’s just a little something missing. Try making a list like this to help you define your search.
No matter what, You may not be able to fill in all the blanks. You also might not want to. The purpose is to see an outline of your repertoire. Take a look at your dream roles. Are there pieces in this outline you can use? If yes, great! If not, no biggie. The pieces you pick for some dream roles may be solidly B Book. Because of her cockney accent and quirky personality, all the pieces I have selected if I were to go in for Mrs. Lovett are very B Book. I just can’t really use them for much else. What is nice is that I have a plan. I would need to spend a week preparing these pieces because I don’t use them very often, but I wouldn’t have to run around like a crazy person trying to find something appropriate.
And guess what? I made a free downloadable planning sheet just for you: 30 Days to a Better Book Bonus
You can also, um, group Song Dump…God, I have GOT to come up with a better name for this… Have a couple friends who are of similar type over. OR have a big diverse group get together so that you can really objectively help each other suss and you might even have pieces lying around that are C Book for you, but would easily be A Book for somebody else. Also, consider forming a supportive Circle of Actorly Song Dumping Trust (something I will discuss further at the end of this whole series) and survey each other about each other FOR PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES AND WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART. This is not the time to clear the air. People, friends! Eyes up here. Anybody who giggles gets detention. This is sensitive.
Here are some suggested questions:
1. What are some roles you think might be good for me?
2. Is there something that you think I should highlight?
3. What cut do you think works best?
4. What do you think is my strongest asset as a performer?
The cool thing about having friends around is that you get their musical knowledge along with your own. They may even have experience “behind the table” or they might play the piano or something. Or maybe YOU have that kind of experience and can help somebody out. Love expands folks. Scarcity mentality and secrecy doesn’t really help anybody out when it comes to building audition repertoire.
Have fun Dumping! I’ll try to come up with a better name. Repertoire Scatter. 16 Bar Scan. I don’t know. Suggestions welcome.
The next few days will cover major eras in Musical Theatre. Those who like to be uber-prepared may want a piece or two from each era for B and possible C Book purposes. Other actors may feel a particular affinity to certain eras and seek productions and companies that specialize in such eras and style (For example: 50’s Pop, Ragtime, 60’s and 70’s folk). And some actors may not bother at all. It’s up to you. For each era, I will give you examples of the current styles, a little history, and some recommended sources.
Source: Wikimedia
Today we’re going to talk about The Turn of the 20th Century, Ragtime and WW I.
Musical Theatre as we know it today didn’t really fully form until the 1940’s. Some say that Oklahoma represents when Musical Theatre truly separated itself from Vaudeville and entered the era of the “book musical” meaning that the story and songs were fully integrated with each other -. So what was going on before then?
They called it Musical Comedy, a sort of hybrid of Operetta, Variety Show and what we now call Musical Theatre.
That’s a scene from the movie Chaplin with an authentic piece from the era, “The Honeysuckle and the Bee.”
There is a tendency to think of the era as a bit stodgy, staid, buttoned up, repressed and proper. But this is the era that produced the first World War, Women’s Suffrage, large scale immigration to the US, heavy industry and Ragtime. If you dig in, you’ll see like the rest of musical history, it’s rich, it’s colorful, and it’s fascinating.
STYLE
Before the advent of the radio (and even after), the popular sound and the musical theatre sound were far more similar than later time periods.
This era is notable for non divergent time signatures, typically 4/4 or Waltz, or 2/4 for marches and rags (a derivative of march). Presentational style. Patriotic spirit.
Belters, look elsewhere. Female voices were as legit as it gets and even our altos might feel a bit out of luck. The fashion was feminine to the max. Corsets (although they were on their way out), bustles, and high heels overemphasized the female body, and this trend certainly extended to the voice. This is the heyday of the soprano. If you’re looking for a ballad that shows off your upper register, you might want to explore this era.
The Arcadians was considered one of the biggest hits of the time period. Here is an excerpt:
Here is “Tell Me Pretty Maiden” from the popular show Floradora. While the video dates from the 1930’s, the number itself is from 1899.
The era has crept into US popular culture at large. Here is Snoopy, as the World War I Flying Ace, dancing to the turn of the century hit, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” along with some other WW I tunes like “Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag”…don’t ask how I know. I…I’m kind of a vintage music junky… My grandpa was born in 1906. He liked when I played in the “Good Ol’ Summertime” on the piano.
WWI definitely influenced popular music. It became more patriotic and upbeat on one hand, and more mournful on another. Many of the patriotic songs that have survived, much like the Musical Comedy of the era, hail from the UK.
Here is a WW I recording from the era called “Rose of Picardy” which includes lyrics.
When listening to songs from historical time periods, do yourself the favor of looking beyond the style of performance. Rolled r’s, exaggerated pronunciations, and classically influenced singing was just what was “in” then. We can perform it anyway we want. Listen far more to the lyrics and the melody. When you audition with it, it will be pared down with a single piano and solo voice (which has a tendency to make everything a little more honest, powerful, and poignant). Imagine what people 100 years from now are going to think when they hear Britney….
This is also the era of Ragtime. Ragtime has many derivative styles including slow drags, rags, cakewalks, two steps, and foxtrots among others. I’ll talk more about cakewalks in a bit. As someone building musical theatre repertoire, these styles don’t have to matter too much. I just wanted you to know that it doesn’t have to have “rag” in the title to be a form of Ragtime.
INSTRUMENTATION
Very traditional and lively, generally speaking. Lots of brass often with a focus on the bigger guys like tuba and trombone. After all, this is the era of Sousa:
The style of music, and the instrumentation, even in the most mournful ballad, seem to have a sense of positivity. Technology and society were moving forward so quickly (similar to us right now, actually. Except our art today seems to reflect a psychological burden.) These folks were getting into cars and experiencing automation for the first time. The world was, or at least felt like their oyster. The music of the time represented this with a general feeling of uplifted excitement.
This video is delightful. I can’t even handle it.
However, lest we not forget, it wasn’t just the privileged that were creating art. Vaudeville was born during this era, created by immigrants and other second class citizens in the small inner city theatres. I’ll talk more about Vaudeville when we talk about the Late Teens, Twenties and the Great Depression.
HOW TO USE
With musical theatre eras, you can use them in two ways:
1. For shows from the actual time period: Gilbert and Sullivan shows and Reviews, Operetta, early work of folks like Irving Berlin and even Jerome Kern,
2. For shows that take place in the era:
- Ragtime,
- Meet Me in St Louis
- A Little Night Music
- Titanic
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown
- The Music Man
- Anne of Green Gables
- Plain and Fancy
- Yankee Doodle Dandy
- George M!
- Mary Poppins
And that’s just to name a few. So having something that evokes 1890 – 1918 or so could seriously come in handy. Certainly, you could use a piece from one of the aforementioned shows quite easily. However, you may want to think about an authentic piece from the era. After all, that was the inspiration, right? Yes, as with all forms of vintage, there is a potential for outdated frumpiness. But, there are some beautiful gems that just might find a place in your book.
MAJOR COMPOSERS
Musical Comedy
Gilbert and Sullivan – Check out my post The Big Guys where I talk more about using pieces from and preparing for Gilbert and Sullivan shows.
George M Cohan
Harrigan and Hart
George”The Gov’nor” Edwards
Ragtime
Scott Joplin
James Scott
Joseph Lamb
Jelly Roll Morton
Debussy and Stravinsky even got in on it, although it was in that kind “classical guys dicking around with popular music” way which sounds complex, skilled, and is…sort of a downer. Like when someone’s parents popped in to see how your teenage party was going. Just kind of takes the air out of the room.
But I digress.
Also see early Irving Berlin’s Ragtime songs such as Alexander’s Ragtime Band
SOURCES
Once again, the library is your friend. For this era, I recommend checking out compilations and anthologies of ragtime, operetta, and era-appropriate popular music. There’s no need to pull from the actual scores until you know precisely what you are looking for. We are, at least chronologically speaking, so removed from this particular time that it makes a lot of sense to allow editors to do most of the dirty work for you. I stumbled across a book called Song Hits From the Turn of the Century on ebay or half.com or …hell, I don’t even remember. I adore it. It has reproductions of the original sheet music covers, beautifully rendered charts, and great little historical tidbits.
CONSIDERATIONS
Content: Be careful. A lot of songs that are from this era can be surprisingly and shockingly racist. Sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere. Rags and rag subgenres, like the cakewalk, often appeared in actual minstrel shows, so do your research.
And also, it held on well into the 40’s…here’s a cakewalk from Meet Me In St Louis:
Performance: As an actor (much like with any classical text) make sure you understand the references and turns of phrase so that you can perform it as well as possible. Also, many songs of the era lack depth. Make sure you prepare it as you would any other piece. Decide who you are talking to, what you want from them, what happens if you don’t get it, and the tactics you’re going to use to get it.
COCKTAIL
I decided that during this part of the series, I’m going to offer a cocktail to go along with the era because I love history, musical theatre, and cocktails. Here’s a cocktail:
Roy Roy
Source: Handlebar NYC
This is when the art of the cocktail really came into it’s own. Pre-Prohibition, liquor was high quality and flavorful. This one dates from 1890 and it was inspired by nothing less than a Broadway Show called Rob Roy.
The Rob Roy
2 oz scotch (of course)
1 oz sweet vermouth
A couple dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Lemon peel
Pour over ice. Stir. Strain into a cocktail glass. Twist peel over drink and drop ‘er in, Laddie.
Cheers!
We’re halfway through 30 Days to a Better Book! Let’s take a moment to review what we’ve done so far:
STOP
The focus so far has been threefold. First, we want to assess who you are, what you want to show off, and where you want to set your sights. Secondly, we want to come up with a system of organization that helps your plan, prioritize, and prepare efficiently and effectively. Third we want to combine both traditional and creative sources to find vibrant repertoire that seems like it was custom built just for you.
- On Day 1 – All About You – We talk about the number one consideration when building your repertoire: YOU! Your likes, dislikes, dreams, goals and abilities will always be the most important factors when building your book, as opposed to worrying too much about the uncontrollable stuff like what the casting team may or may not be looking for, your “competition”, and whether or not you picked the “right” piece.
- On Day 2 – A B C – We talked about one way to organize and prioritize your book.
- On Day 3 – The Money Tree – We talked about how to find, use and prepare the number one piece in your whole repertoire: The Showstopper.
- On Day 4 – The Vital Few – We focused on what I call your “A Book” – the most frequently used pieces in your whole portfolio.
- On Day 5 – Living the Dream – We talked about how to utilize your dream roles by mining them for material, using them to make self-assessments, and preparing to audition for them in advance.
- On Day 6- The Big Guys – We dove into the most traditional of musical theatre sources: The flagship composers of the 20th and 21st Century.
- On Day 7 – You Need a Hero – We examined our personal performance idols and covered ways to use their resumes and repertoire to show off our own personalities.
- On Day 8 – Comedy Tonight – We redefined what “Comedic” means in an audition setting and used creative ways to find truly funny comic repertoire.
- On Day 9 – The “A” Book Part Two – We wrapped up your Top Ten to Twenty go-to pieces by analyzing your “type” and your own personal story.
- On Day 10 – A Custom Tailored Vet – We took a look at transposition, musical notation, and all the nitty gritty bits that can make or a break a piece. The Devil is truly in the details.
- On Day 11 – Variations on a Theme(Song) – We considered Novelty pieces and assessed whether or not they belong in your repertoire. Plus we covered lots of potential sources.
- On Day 12 – Shiny and New – We looked at New and Original Musical Theatre as a potential source for truly unique repertoire.
- On Day 13 – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – We stepped outside traditional musical theatre repertoire and examined some pop singer/songwriters who have a theatrical sound.
- On Day 14 – Flop House – We put on our shit-kickers and dug around in Broadway Flops, Obscure Older pieces, and Cult Classics.
So here we are on Day 15 and I’m bringing it back to you. What is the best source for musical theatre repertoire? YOU!
What I mean is you can handpick interesting, obscure, clever, and powerful pieces ’til the chorus girls come home but if they aren’t personal to you? If you don’t connect? It’s wasted effort.
How do you do that? How do you find the goosebump, tear, and laughter-inducing stuff that feels like it was written by a friend?
Immerse yourself, grasshopper.
LOOK
Source: This American Life
See shows. Lots of them. Not just musicals either. There are so many productions that you could call “Plays Where There is Singing.” And even completely non-musical shows are important too. It’s important to see what is happening currently because that is what you are and will be auditioning for. See a wide variety of shows and not just pieces where you suspect you are “right” for a role. Go to storefront stuff. Go to big budget stuff. Go to start up stuff. Go to established stuff. Access other cultures. Why? Because knowledge makes you better at acting. Experiences help you appreciate and create comedy. Empathy increases your capacity for the dramatic.
Most importantly you begin to build your own personal aesthetic. What shows do you want to do? The most ill-advised and potentially harmful, but all too common acting advice is: Audition for everything and take every role that is offered to you. That is a recipe for burnout and resentment. There may be an actor who followed this advice who reached all their career goals and is very happy and satisfied, but I’ve never met them. What you like counts. Seeing shows helps you decide what you like, who you want to work with and how to focus your repertoire in that direction. Your future directors, music directors, composers, castmates and crew are all out there working right now. That’s exciting! Go see what they are creating. Even as an audience member, you are a part of it all and that, my friend, is a wonderful thing.
A Note: I come from rural farmland, originally, so while it is easy for me as a Chicagoan to tell someone to walk straight out their door and right into a theatre, I know this isn’t possible for everyone. At least not on a big city scale. The big shows that do come through can be exorbitantly expensive and they are only representative of Broadway- not all the theatre that’s out there.
So what’s a little girl from Grover’s Corners to do? Widen your perspective. No, that community theatre production may not have Patti Lupone in the cast, but the material they are performing is the same stuff that once graced The Great White Way. Utilize libraries, particularly inter-library loan. Even the most rural place usually isn’t too far from a college theatre department. They would LOVE for a non-university affiliated person to sit in their audience. Plus, college productions can often be a little wild and weird. Youtube and Netflix provide lots of not-ideal, but not unhelpful recordings of musicals and plays. There are tons of fun movie musicals, and lucky for the folks of Fly Over Country (Again, I am you), movie musicals are popular again. And when you do visit the bigger cities, be brave and venture beyond the tourist areas and go to a little hole in the wall theatre. Yes, you may experience this:
But you also may experience this:
And listen, don’t knock the mid-size cities. The town you used to go to buy your prom dress just might have a couple theatre companies and I promise they want you to know who they are.
So do your research. Be a little brave. And you know, go have your life changed. Even just a little.
Special Note: Save your programs. I once got a comedy number out of seeing a revue. Programs have tons of information that might come in handy for your book. They list resumes of the performers. They also list all the songs appearing in the show. They may even list the director’s influences. The point is, they are a treasure trove and they are (not including ticket price) 100% free of charge.
LISTEN
Source: Masterworks Broadway
The irony of being an actor is that when you are actually acting, you don’t have time to go see other shows. Plus, you know…life and stuff.
Get thee some cast recordings and solo albums. This can be a bit of an overwhelming prospect. There’s JUST SO MUCH STUFF. One way I like to dig into a show is to pick a piece that has had a few major productions, and listen to the different recordings. This is particularly effective for shows that are 30 years old or more. You can hear the different styles of music and how current productions may or may not have adapted the material to make it sound more current.
Another way to approach the musical theatre cannon is similar to my advice in the post You Need a Hero. Pick a performer you love (or a director, or a composer, or a lyricist) and work your way through their resume: shows, movies, solo albums. Immersion (otherwise known as obsession) can refine your palette in a way that will allow you to notice subtleties you wouldn’t have otherwise observed.
****
Source: Stage and Cinema
Aside from actually being on a stage, being a theatrical consumer is probably the most important action you can take to build a strong repertoire. Experiencing the work of directors, composers, playwrights, actors and companies you would like to work with is the absolute best way to familiarize and educate yourself. It is potent information when preparing for auditions, and even more, callbacks. Plus, the first place to witness a new work is always onstage. You can even attend staged readings and workshop productions of work that has yet to be fully produced. And who knows? You might just find something for your book.
Tomorrow, and for the next several days we are going to shift gears a bit and talk about different eras in musical theatre you may want to represent in your A or B Book – Day 16: Back to Before – Audition for Shows in the Style of The Turn of the 20th Century, Ragtime and WW I.
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.
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
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.
Warning: This post is video heavy.
Today we’re going to keep things light and fluffy with a bit of a meditation on a B Book stalwart: the Novelty song.
Novelty songs occasionally come in handy – comedy, devised pieces, sketch shows, some children’s theatre, and some of the more offbeat types of auditions. They can serve as icebreakers, when handled appropriately, and show off your personality (and your interests).
Let me be clear: this is not the piece to bring in for a general audition. The novelty comes in handy when the requirements get weird, or when you may be asked sing something fun in an audition for a non-musical. To have a novelty on hand helps in a pinch or when you draw a blank on the spot. The Novelty song can also serve as a backup Comedic piece.
SOME SOURCES FOR THE NOVELTY SONG
Television Theme Songs
A lot of us have the shared experience of watching Must See TV or TGIF shows as a kid. The songs range from goofy to surprisingly touching. And lots of the 80’s and 90’s songs are pop belty. Here are a few I love:
Sometimes the themes have a long version:
Leon Redbone, in general, worth a peek for some fun songs:
Movies
Of course we can’t leave movies out of this discussion.
During the 70’s and 80’s movies often had a poppy ballad that underscored important scenes, montages or the credits. Sure, it still happens today, kind of. But these songs are from the Movie Theme Song Heyday:
My cousin said if she had to sing this at one more wedding during the eighties, she would have revolted:
Some theme songs have words, but they do not appear in the film:
Where do I begin,
to tell the story of how great a love can be?
The sweet love story that is older than the sea.
The simple truth about the love she brings to me.
Where do I start?With her first hello!
She gave a meaning to this empty world of mine.
There’d never be another love, another time.
She came into my life and made a living fine.
She fills my heart . . .
Speak softly love
And hold me warm against your heart
I feel your words
The tender trembling moments startWe’re in our world
Our very own
Sharing a love that only
Few have ever known
In the 50’s and 60’s, movies often had quirky themes for the opening credits:
Here’s one of my favorites from the 70’s
Lesser known Disney movies are packed with great songs:
And don’t forget non-Disney Children and Family pieces:
Cartoons
I’ve said for a while now that the Gummy Bear’s Theme Song is a great belt number
The Animaniacs have fantastic songs:
The Looney Tunes crew usually take pre-existing songs and Looney them.
Camp and Scout Songs
Camp Kids know Camp Songs and Camp Songs are really great:
Weenie Man
I know a weenie man
He owns a weenie stand
He sells most anything
From hotdogs on down, down, down , down.
One day I’ll join his life
I’ll be his weenie-wife
HOT DOG! I love that weenie man
And one of my personal favorites, The Three Bears Rap.
*********
Those are just a few ideas for adding some light-hearted personality to your book, if that sort of thing is in your wheelhouse. For some actors, these types of songs are downright unnecessary. But for others, having a novelty piece comes in handy every once in awhile. It’s another way to show your story and your personality. It’s up to you how quirky you go!
Tomorrow, I’ll get a little more serious again and talk about sourcing New Musicals and up-and-coming Composers for awesome audition material that will refresh and update your book instantly. Day 12: Shiny and New
But for now:
I read somewhere that Jennifer Aniston gets her t-shirts tailored. That’s why they look so perfect on her. I would also suggest her yogi-body has something to do with that as well. Still, her tailored t-shirts are, in effect, custom made for her.
There are two lessons here for the Musical Theatre Actor:
1. A Firm Foundation – yuk yuk. But seriously, a strong and sculpted repertoire makes everything look better.
2. Making tweaks and tailoring each piece to perfectly fit you makes you sound better and present yourself more confidently.
So how do you do that?
The Perfect Key
Source: cnx.org
First things first, make sure that each piece is smack dab in your key. Thanks to online sheet music services, this is often an easy and cheap prospect. However, they usually only offer a few carefully selected options. And sometimes transposition isn’t available at all. So what’s a singer to do?
There are (expensive) piano programs that help you transpose yourself. This is probably overkill on the part of an actor. Investing in those programs makes more sense for music directors and composers. Still, worth mentioning.
You can also hire someone to transpose for you. This is my favorite option. You are guaranteed the exact key you need, and you can even have them help you make clean audition cuts that show off your voice in a way custom fitted to you. I love having a person I can go to for this type of service.
Where to find such a genius? Music directors and composers often perform this service to make a little extra cash. There are also online services. You could even inquire at college music departments for students who might be willing to perform the service for a fee.
Transcribed Just For You
I like to have a couple novelty pieces in my repertoire (something I’ll talk more about soon). Often these pieces can be difficult to come by in sheet music form. Hiring someone to notate means that you are nearly guaranteed to have something that is only your book, and no one else’s. For example, I happen to love quirky old music from the 20’s through the 60’s. Brigitte Bardot has peppy French numbers that delight me. I love old burlesque tunes. I also love cute WW II era numbers about pining for sailors and the like. As such, there was a track called Bell Bottom Blues by Alma Cogan that I fell in love with a few years ago and I couldn’t find the sheet music anywhere. On top of that, the instrumentation was heavily brass, something that doesn’t translate well to standard piano.
So I hired someone to transcribe it and make it more piano-friendly. I love having the piece. Since it’s so quirky and specific, I don’t use it a lot, but it’s nice to have on hand.
A Note on Instrumentation: As I mentioned above, creating sheet music from a piece that was originally written for an instrument other than piano can make some sheet music clunky. Guitar, in particular, can result in awkward accompaniment. Electric guitar and upbeat pop/rock pieces often have piano versions written for the mass market that are not very elegant in design. These bad transcriptions are difficult to prepare effectively and sound nothing like the original piece, which is what attracts a performer in the first place. These mass market pieces are so true to the original recording, they often include transcribed moments of improv or vocal styling that is unnecessary and makes some pieces difficult to cut.
Hiring a professional to transcribe for you or to take a piece and fine tune it to your needs can be worth it’s weight in gold.
There are some guitar pieces that do translate well to piano: singer songwriters, folk music ballads, and some jazz work well on the ol’ ivories. This certainly doesn’t mean avoid “harder” rock when auditioning. Not at all! It’s just a pitfall to be aware of.
Clever Edits
Source: Wikimedia
Another way to tailor your book to you, is to occasionally make a clever rewrite. I suggested this in the Comedy post, but you can use it in other ways, too. In my book, I have a piece that is traditionally about New York, but I made it about Chicago instead. I only had to change a couple words, and now it feels like I’m sharing something with the other side of the table: our love for our home city. Tiny rewrites help “un-gender” songs which makes a lot more music available to you. One thing to note: this tends to work best with stand alone pieces, rather than pieces from within a musical. It’s easy to change the gender perspective of a Frank Sinatra number. It’s more difficult when it is a piece from within a story and from the perspective of a specific character.
Another way way to edit a piece is to find or have someone create an interesting arrangement of the piece. I am a big fan of Barbra Streisand’s first Broadway album because of the clever versions of classic numbers. No, you won’t be able to haul an entire studio orchestra into your audition with you, but you can hear how an updated arrangement can refresh a piece and make it exciting to perform.
Cut and Pasted
Sometimes audition requirements feel constricting: 32 bars may not be enough to show as much range as you would like, let alone 16 bars. But rather than getting hung up on the limitation, I suggest using these cuts to your advantage. Think of them as a structure in which to be creative. Since you can’t do the whole song, you can make choices that cherry pick the best stuff.
I recommend, for each song in your A Book (See: The A Book Pt 1. and the A Book Pt 2.) , having 16, 32 and “full” cuts rehearsed and ready to go. When I say “full” I don’t necessarily mean the whole song (although it can be). I mean a full intro, verse, chorus, and perhaps another verse and chorus. This cut will have a full beginning middle and end, whereas a 16 bar cut is often just the big ending. Some auditions are very generous in their allotment and using a full cut gives you the opportunity to take your audience on a journey with you. I have full cuts that are actually just 32 bars, for certain songs. Others are 48-60. It depends heavily on the time signature. Also, do yourself the favor of learning the song completely just in case they ask you to keep going.
Having great cuts predetermined can save you lots of time and worry in the future.
Consider hiring someone to help you make awkward cuts cleaner by removing the internal cut material and smoothing the transitions. Or you can print several copies of the piece and make several different cuts for different auditions – one cut may emphasis drama or comedy, while another is more about vocal range.
These are just a few detail-oriented ways to tailor your repertoire to you and your needs. By paying attention to the details, you can take your auditions to the next level performing arrangements built around you.
Between your Showstoppers, Dream Roles and the work of some of the Big Guys, hopefully at this point, you’re looking at (or have a plan to find) 4-6 nicely contrasting pieces that show off your vocal range, your personality, and contrast with each other vibrantly. You probably have (or are looking for) a classic ballad, a contemporary ballad, a Showstopper, and an lighthearted uptempo number. You may have a solid comedy piece and/or some pieces by specific composers you feel connected to.
So what next? In this post, I’m going to talk about a couple areas you might want to consider followed by several categories that are often requested at auditions. Please note that there is no need to have separate pieces to represent these categories. If you have a song that works in several ways, that is great. In fact, that is best.
THE “ME” PIECES – Personality and Style
In the first four to six pieces we’ve focused on your talent and skill. We also focused on contrast. Now we want to address your personality and your personal style — what I call “ME” pieces. These are songs that you love, that you sound good singing, and that you connect to as a human. It’s quite possible that your first four pieces fit this bill. If so, great! We want each piece in your top ten to serve as many purposes as possible. However, we all have that one number we sing in the shower that we just LOVE. It feels so YOU Like a composer knew you and wrote a song for you to sing. Sometimes these songs may not have a big money note, or a large range and we hesitate to use them as a first choice in auditions. If you’ve addressed those issues (range, power, depth, contrast) in your first songs, here is the spot for the personality pieces.
Let’s go back to Melody’s comments about “The Simple Little Things.” I love this one. I feel I can connect to it emotionally. I adore the character, and feel I could be cast as her. Talk about two birds, one stone! Melody’s go-to Ballad is also a “Me” piece. That’s awesome. She’ll use this song for a long time.
If you still feel like you are missing some of “you” in your book, take a look back at Living the Dream and You Need a Hero. These strategies are ripe for finding “ME” songs.
TYPE SONGS
Contemporary musical theatre is moving away from the stock character structures of classic musical theatre. However, classic musical theatre is still being produced, as is High Camp, Operetta and all sorts of revues, cabaret, and other mashups.
Some actors don’t seem to be one type or another. Other actors just reek. David Hyde pierce is downright nebbish when he wants to be. Robert Preston was the perfect Harold Hill. He’s a born salesman type. Faith Prince is sass and a half. The Proper Gentleman, The Villain, The Lounge Lizard, Fatherly or Grandfatherly are all some of the male types we find in MT.
For women there’s the Mother, Ingenue, Brassy Friend or Secretary, Sexy Bad Girl. You see the point.
Melody once again hits the nail on the head with “Simple Little Things.” This really is a wonderful piece for her. Melody’s from the South, originally. 110 in the Shade takes place during the Dust Bowl in the Southwest. Lizzie Curry, the character, is a small town woman is both a dreamer and a realist. This gives Melody a lot to connect to and a lot to work with. Here’s more from Melody concerning her “type,” I don’t think I really fall into any extremes, which is challenging. So, hopefully, I can be really likable. This tells me Melody is three dimensional and has the freedom to stretch her wings a bit when it comes to traditional musical theatre characters. In fact, her piece “A Quiet Thing” from Flora the Red Menace is just the ticket. It was a Liza vehicle original which indicates quirk, charm and belt. These are charactertistics Melody has, but they aren’t quickly obvious. “A Quiet Thing” would be a nice little surprise in an audition.
Don’t make the mistake, when considering “type”, of sticking yourself in a box. You’ve already established your bread and butter with your Showstoppers, Ballads, and “Me” pieces. Let the Type Songs answer to both the obvious, and some surprise. Take a look back at the Comedy post to see how to flip something upside down for your benefit.
If you don’t feel this way about any songs, don’t fret. Someday they’ll come along, those songs you love. Hopefully the two or songs you select in this category contrast a bit and show different sides of you.
Source SJE Records
POPULAR CATEGORIES, STYLES and GENRES
Now we are really going to start custom fitting your Top Ten. You probably have a specific idea of 4-6 that you are either searching for or already have. Let’s address what might be missing and what you might want to cover.
*Note – I will cover several of these categories and styles in detail in upcoming posts.
Dramatic pieces (if your Showstopper is dramatic but upbeat, you may want to consider a dramatic show ballad). While we did focus on contrast in the first four pieces, we spoke more along the lines of tempo, vocal performance, and style. Here, we are addressing content and context. What are the circumstances? What’s on the line?
Pop/Rock – Particularly a piece from outside the musical theatre cannon. This genre of musical is growing rapidly. While those of us that are a bit longer in the tooth may not need to worry about it, anyone under the age of 35 should really consider filling this spot. I also highly recommend looking outside the musical theatre cannon for this piece.
Jazz or Torch – for the mellow-voiced among us. I’ll talk about sources for these pieces in upcoming posts.
Classic Show Ballad – Think Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, Lerner and Loewe, etc. Something from the 40’s to the 50’s. The Golden Age. Melody has this covered with “Simple LIttle Things.”
Sondheim – See this post. He’s pretty indispensable.
Your specialty – Opera, foreign language, etc.
Patter – Patter shows off a certain ability with song and language. It isn’t so much about vocal chops as it is about delivery and rhythm. Having a patter piece in your back pocket can be just the trick for lighthearted Sondheim characters, comic relief, and villains.
The question is: what is it that you do the absolute best, and what pieces will it take to show that off? If you are a face-melting high belter, if you are a classic soprano, if you are a sultry chanteuse, if you are a squeaky clean all American boy, if you are a gruff bad boy…you name it, The Big Ten centers around that.
Does it have to be just Ten?
Not at all!
My A Book has around 14-20 songs in it, depending on the audition. That’s partially because I play piano, and I have extra pieces in case I need to accompany myself or play something classical. I also sing a lot of different styles including gospel and bluegrass.
This isn’t about hitting some arbitrary number. This is about a well-edited small collection of rock solid songs that you can perform at the drop of a hat.
The idea behind the Top Ten, your ‘A’ Book, is to help you prioritize and organize your audition preparation. Everything should be tailored specifically to you and what you need.
SPECIFIC AUDITIONS
The final touch to your A Book are a few singular audition-specific pieces. These pieces are individually pulled from your B Book as a way to shape your A Book toward a certain show or role. How does this work? Well, let’s say you are auditioning for Oklahoma. Your A Book is structured around YOU, not Oklahoma. So in order to feel really ready, you probably want to put your R&H piece into your A Book (if it isn’t already there). And you’ll probably want to have something uptempo from classic musical theatre – maybe Porter or Berlin. These don’t necessarily need to be the pieces that you initially audition with. They are just nice backups in case they want to hear something else. For some auditions, your basic A Book will work just fine, for others you may need to beef it up a little with some carefully selected pieces. Some directors like to dig through your book. Others cut you off at 12 bars because that’s all they need to see. Some have you sing the piece you brought in over and over from with different direction.
Now you’ve got a structure on which to build. It’s okay if you feel like you don’t have anything to put into your Top Ten. In fact, let’s put the structure of the Big Ten away for awhile. We are going to free form gather potential songs. If you are following along with this process, your only goal right now should be gathering vibrant and enjoyable pieces that showcase you and your talent. Don’t worry about fitting them into particular categories or priorities just yet. You’ve got your shopping list. Now where to we go to shop? I’ve covered some of the more traditional sources for material. Over the next few days I’m going to discuss some alternative ways to find exciting repertoire.
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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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The Incredibly Divine Ms. M
Who are your idols? Who are your faves?
I ain’t gonna lie. In my eyes, Ms. Bette Midler can do no wrong.
I mean have you seen this? It’s her performance on the final Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It is the pinnacle of song styling. Genius. I cry. In fact, I cry so heartily that I should not watch this in public. Just one of the greatest performances of all time.
…I love Bette Midler because I love her sense of humor and the material she chooses. I’m attracted to her style and I look to her, not only for entertainment, but to learn because I would like to do what she does.
So who do you look up to? Who do you admire? They don’t even have to be performers. They could be your Mom or Dad or friend or a character. We all pick up on other people’s style. Whatever they’ve got that you really love and admire is probably lurking somewhere within you.
Take a look at your idols and their resumes. Look at their albums or body of work. Somewhere in their repertoire might be a piece just perfect for you.
Sutton Foster (Source: The Gazette)
Broadway stars and their solo albums, in particular are worth a look. Often big time or up-and-coming composers will write songs just for these ladies and gents OR they will provide them with pieces that never made it into a larger musical. This is how I found my Guettel piece, actually.
Note: I am not suggesting we turn into a bunch of creepy copy cats. This strategy is all about taking something you love and putting your personal spin on it. This is all about sourcing material, not changing who you are. It’s just one more way to utilize your preferences and sources of joy.
Special Note: The Signature Song
A warning: there’s sort of an understanding that only Judy does “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” By now, you probably know I have a bit of an aversion to arbitrary rules. Yes, there is an argument to be made to avoid your favorite superstar’s signature number. You can try looking at their b-sides for more juicy stuff. However, a tweak of perspective can make all the difference. Take a look at Bette’s “One for My Baby” I posted above. That’s actually a big ol’ Sinatra signature. But she pared it down. Made it realllly personal, and subsequently made it her own. STUNNING!
Pant, pant. Okay. Sorry. I just…love that performance.
Common Wisdom says don’t set up bad comparisons. The idea is that if we sing someone else’s signature song, we are setting ourselves up to compete against some of the greatest performers of our time.
Another form of this theory is avoiding big popular numbers: “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Memory”, “Defying Gravity”.
Man, I hate rules like that. Here’s the deal. Is it a risk to perform songs like these? Yes. Are you setting yourself up for eye rolls and such? Maybe. But rules are made to be broken, baby. If you perform one of these undeniably, if these are the songs that speak to you the most , You just f*cking love them? Then do it. Try it out. At least at one audition. See what happens. You’ll never know until you try.
Another strategy is to do what I call the One Off. It’s not THE song. It’s the second song. Or the third. So you don’t do “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, but maybe you do “Who Are You Now” or “His Loves Makes Me Beautiful” which are also from Funny Girl.
Recommendations
Here are some interesting folks with quirky resumes who might just have a song or two in their career history that will knock you head over heels:
Doris Day
Robert Preston – He did a particularly horrific PSA in the 60’s that would be a brilliant comedic number.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Lea Salonga
Tom Wopat
Marilyn Monroe
Rita Moreno – Quirky guest appearances (think kid’s programs, The Muppet Show, Variety Shows, late night appearances, cameos) can be ripe for the picking
Gregory Hines
Liza Minnelli
Nell Carter
Linda Ronstadt
Now, I understand you may be questioning my sanity, but I just want you to stretch your idea of what can go in your book. There is just so much good stuff and weird stuff and juicy stuff out there, you can have an absolute blast digging up pieces that may be hidden away somewhere just waiting for you to find it.
Remember: Your dreams and ideals are important. Music is written to be performed. Always question the status quo, and for the love of God, go for what you want with all your heart.
Tomorrow? Tomorrow we talk Comedy. Day 8 – Comedy Tonight!
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Stephen Sondheim
One common strategy to finding useful audition pieces is to dig into the work of individual composers.
Sondheim. Rogers and Hammerstein. Gershwin. Cole Porter. Schwartz. Herman.
These are scions of musical theatre. First of all, can we get a woman in there, please?
- Tesori
- Ahrens
- Comden
- Willis
- Childs
- Rodgers (Mary)
- Simon
- Russell
- Rodewald
- Stitt
Ah, that’s better. Now can we make a bigger deal out of them? Excellent.
Soapbox aside, certain composers require special consideration when it comes to audition preparation. They are iconic because of their individual sound and unique challenges. While there is no reason to seek out a piece from every arguably iconic composer, we certainly find ourselves attracted to the work of some over the others.
As we go through each name, I will offer suggestions for preparing pieces by these composers as well as alternatives that may have a similar sound.
But before we dig into ALL of them, let’s talk about five of them.
Rodgers & Hammerstein (Source: The Sound of Music Guide)
Rodgers & Hammerstein
In the idiocy of my youth, I went through an anti-Rodgers and Hammerstein phase. I was a child of of the 90’s and it all sounded so…old. RENT had just come out. Phantom, Les Mis and Miss Saigon were the big paragons of Broadway. Even Chicago, from the 70’s, at least sounded sexy and hip. Luckily, I regained my wits. I do believe that having a big Rodgers and Hammerstein ballad is a great idea for your audition book. Male or female. Young or old. They are what musical theatre is built on. They also contrast wonderfully with Showstoppers and contemporary pieces. If you are overwhelmed at looking for a big classic ballad, look here first.
Alternatives: Rodgers & Hart, Lerner & Loewe
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim is easily the most requested composer and there’s a reason for that. His style is so distinct, and often so difficult, casting directors and directors want to know if you can handle his work right off the bat. When searching for a Sondheim piece, start with character. Who would you love to play? As I mentioned in Living the Dream, my Sondheim dream role is Mrs. Lovett. Now, Mrs. Lovett isn’t ideal in an audition for a couple reasons. 1. She uses a distinct dialect. 2. Her pieces are a bit difficult to arrange in audition-friendly cuts. Also, the piano accompaniment for Sweeney Todd can be shockingly difficult for a lone accompanist, which, in turn can makes things a bit wonky for me at an audition. So I decided to head in a couple different directions – ballad and funny. I’ve got “Not a Day Goes By” for two reasons 1. I connect very deeply to it on an emotional and personal level. I just “get” this song. I love it. 2. The accompaniment is easy for me (as a piano player) to work with at home. And, as such, it’s an easy sight read at the audition. I also have “Can That Boy Foxtrot” which was cut from Follies’ London production. It’s not standard Sondheim because it’s got a Vaudeville feel. But it IS standard Sondheim because the word play is second to none and it’s really funny. I am not an ingenue. I need some funny stuff. So that’s me.
Alternatives: It kind of depends on the piece. As a general rule, if they ask for Sondheim, bring Sondheim. But man, I love a cleverly broken rule… Bernstein, even some R&H (Hammerstein was Sondheim’s mentor), Guettel, Kander & Ebb, Weill, Jerry Herman, William Finn. Sondheim himself considers Porgy & Bess to be the greatest musical ever written. It wouldn’t hurt to check out some of the more complex Gershwin pieces. There’s more than a little Gershwin in Follies, in my very humble opinion.
George and Ira Gershwin (by Al Hirschfeld)
Gershwin
It is no bad thing to have some Gershwin in your book. First of all, the cannon is huge. Secondly, Gershwin is fun as hell to sing. Third, Gershwin pieces work for a wide variety of audition situations from actual Gershwin musicals, anything 20’s or 30’s, revues, comedy, shows that are dance heavy. While I try not to get too wrapped up in the “Overdone vs Obscure” debate, do yourself the favor of looking beyond “I’ve Got Rhythm.” If your repertoire is hurting for some classic stuff, particularly upbeat, dig into some Gershwin.
Also, it isn’t just about George. Ira collaborated with a lot of interesting folks over the years including Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen and (my fave) Kurt Weill.
Alternatives: Porter, Berlin
Cole Porter (Source: Yale)
Cole Porter
If you aren’t finding anything Gershwin that clicks, take a look at Cole Porter. To call the man prolific is an understatement. He also has a bit of a dirty side; really take a look at the lyrics to “Too Darn Hot” sometime if you’re feeling saucy. Having a Porter piece is like having a Swiss Army knife. It’s a multi-purpose audition tool. Some Porter pieces sound downright Vaudevillian, others sound way ahead of their time. Do you need both Gershwin and Porter in your book? That depends. If contemporary stuff is your bag, probably not. However, if you love jazz and more classic musical theatre, having both may benefit you. I have a Porter ballad, and a Gershwin uptempo. I use the Gershwin more, but that’s mostly because for me, a sassy jazzy number comes in handy more than a leading lady classic ballad.
Alternatives: Berlin, Gershwin, Mercer.
Gilbert & Sullivan (Source: University of Michigan)
Gilbert and Sullivan
For the Operetta (and comedic) minded among us, we have to talk about G&S. For a lot of actors, there is no need to include a Gilbert and Sullivan piece. However, I recommend taking a second look if you are having a hard time finding a comedic piece (I’ll cover Comedy in a future post) OR if you are looking for a Patter piece. Certainly, those actors who have Operetta in their skill set may want to look deeper into the genre and seek composers other than Gilbert and Sullivan. I have a Gilbert and Sullivan piece that I have not prepared. What? It’s B Book. WAY B Book. But if I need it, it’s there. If and when the time comes that I require a Gilbert and Sullivan piece, I don’t have to spend time searching for it. It’s right there. I just need to prepare it. Gilbert and Sullivan is a great example of a B Book piece (for MOST actors. Not all.) You just don’t need it a lot of the time. However, if you are interested in performing in pieces like Pirates of Penzance or HMS Pinafore, you need to have a game plan. Here in Chicago, these pieces get performed surprisingly often for the city famous for contemporary realism and improv.
Alternatives; Other operetta
Other Considerations
Now these guys — R&H, Sondheim, Gershwin, Porter and G&S– are certainly not the only players in this game. When auditioning for a specific musical, it often makes sense to pick a piece by the same composer. Here are some examples (by no means comprehensive) of some folks you might bump into.
Stephen Schwartz (Source: LA Times)
Stephen Schwartz
The Schwartz cannon is interesting because his career spans a time period where the musical theatre sound changed A LOT. As such, Godspell sounds nothing like Wicked. So a Schwartz piece from one musical may not work when auditioning for another. Also, shows from Schwartz’s earlier work are open to interpretation and concept. I bring him up because his work from the seventies sounds like the seventies. His work from the nineties sounds like the nineties. He’s also written for several Disney movies.
Alternatives: Alan Menken, Charles Strouse, William Finn
Kander & Ebb (Source: TheatreMusicDirectors.org)
Kander & Ebb
Dancers should consider having some Kander & Ebb in their book. It is Fosse-friendly, to say the least. It’s also sexy and clever.
Alternatives: Comden & Green, Bernstein, Cy Coleman
Lerner and Loewe (Source: Masterworks Broadway)
Lerner & Loewe
Look at Lerner & Loewe as an alternative to Rodgers and Hammerstein or Rodgers and Hart. Lots of big classic ballads and sweet little uptempo numbers and character pieces. These guys are about as classic musical theatre as you can get.
Alternatives: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, Burton Lane.
Jerry Herman and some sparkly friends – Angela Lansbury and Carol Channing (Source: Ricky Skipper Celebrates)
Jerry Herman: One of my personal faves. Jerry Herman musicals are this magical mix of earth mommas and total glamour. Non-ingenues, take note. I mean, look at that picture!
Alternatives: Frank Loesser, Burton Lane, Jules Styne, Comden and Green
Comden & Green (Source: Film Reference)
Comden and Green: Their cannon is pretty huge. Their collaborations are impressive. Comden and Green shows represent the heart of 50’s and 60’s musical theatre.
Alternatives: Jerry Herman, Bock & Harnick, Jule Styne, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
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Before I talk about a few of the big players in contemporary musical theatre, I want to mention that paying attention to the particular show or character matters far more than using something composed by the same person. I’ll use Jeanine Tesori as an example. She’s written an impressive amount of shows including Shrek, Violet, and Caroline or Change. These shows really couldn’t be more different, so picking a piece from Violet for a Shrek audition, probably won’t serve you very well. Better to take a look at the individual show. So, with that in mind, here are some thoughts on a few major contemporary names.
Jason Robert Brown (Source: University of Southern California)
Jason Robert Brown
I know I said I didn’t really want to get into the “Obscure vs Overdone” debate. I will only say this, most directors and casting directors (at least in Chicago) will hear most of the score of The Last Five Years during an audition cycle. Jason Robert Brown also has a bit of a Sondheim issue; the accompaniment can be very challenging when being sight read. It also often doesn’t relate much to the melody. So I will just say that Jason Robert Brown can be somewhat difficult in an audition situation. I’m not saying avoid it. I’m just bringing up considerations. Those are the practical concerns. From an artistic perspective, JRB pieces are undeniably beautiful and singer-friendly. There’s a reason he’s so popular at auditions.
Alternatives: Andrew Lippa, Pasek & Paul, Georgia Stitt, some Flaherty & Ahrens
Flaherty & Ahrens (Source: New York Social Diary)
Flaherty & Ahrens
I love these guys. Their work is beautiful and they tell important stories. My personal thoughts aside, the work of Flaherty & Ahrens is a great place to find a contemporary dramatic ballad. They also cover pieces that while written recently, cover a large range of historical eras and cultures. When preparing for a Flaherty & Ahrens audition, if you don’t find something to use that they actually wrote, look to the era or the culture the piece is about. I have a piece that is actually from the turn of the 20th century I’ve kept around for a Ragtime audition. It’s just another access point while preparing to audition for a particular piece.
Alternatives: Frank Wildhorn, Leonard Bernstein, William Finn, Adam Guettel.
Michael John LaChiusa (Source: Playbill)
Michael John LaChiusa
Rather than wax intellectual on LaChiusa’s work, I’m just going to put this quote from The New York Times regarding an essay penned by Mr. LaChiusa entitled “The Great Gray Way” in Opera News:
Mr. LaChiusa, who has written serious-minded musicals like “Marie Christine” and “The Wild Party,” committed what many in the industry consider an unforgivable breach: he published a scathing attack on many of his colleagues in the August issue of Opera News. The article… began by declaring, “The American Musical is dead,” and went on to assail a large percentage of the musicals that have played Broadway in the past few seasons, and their creators.
That might have been that, had not Mr. Shaiman’s wildly popular show, “Hairspray,” come in for particularly stinging criticism. Mr. LaChiusa labeled “Hairspray” a “faux-musical,” writing: “Instead of choreography, there is dancing. Instead of crafted songwriting, there is tune-positioning. Faux-musicals are mechanical; they have to be. For expectations to be met, there can be no room for risk, derring-do or innovation.”
He went on to say that in such musicals “all sense of invention and craft is abandoned in favor of delivering what the audience thinks a musical should deliver,” that there “is no challenge, no confrontation, no art – and everyone sighs with relief.”
Betta put ya big girl panties on for this fella.
Alternatives: Adam Guettel, Ricky Ian Gordon
Andrew Lippa: It’s best to approach Lippa from a pop/rock perspective. Lippa’s sound is really a microcosm of the current state of affairs in contemporary musical theatre. Film adaptations abound. While the popular music of the 40’s and 50’s often came from Broadway, the Broadway music of today is sourced from popular music. Lippa represents this trend. As a friend of mine says, “Lippa is very traditional contemporary music theatre.” If such a thing exists, there you have it.
Alternatives: Scott Alan, Kerrigan & Lowdermilk, Ryan Scott Oliver, contemporary pop/rock
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While the composer is the most obvious access point to picking and sculpting repertoire, it’s worth noting that it may not be the most important consideration. A director friend of mine says the following:
In a casting session, I want to see that you know what kind of show you’re auditioning for. If it’s contemporary, but has a very classical sound, let’s say you’re auditioning for Light in the Piazza, I would MUCH rather hear R&H, Bernstein, or even L&L over one of Guettel’s peers. The key is knowing the show, knowing the style, and doing your research. If you understand the show and your potential spot in it, it makes my life easier and it makes me want to cast you more.
Follow your instincts, and follow your desires. The role(s) you want and how you want to present yourself should be your North star.
Still, digging into the great pillars of musical theatre can open doors to material you didn’t know existed, new dream roles, and what do you know? A Better Book!
Tomorrow we will talk about your Mentors, Idols and Career Crushes and how they can help you shape and sass up your repertoire. Day 7 – You Need a Hero.
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