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Acting in Plays, Singing/Auditioning for Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Producers

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Expert: - 12/2/2011


Question
I am a fifteen year old mezzo soprano, and I will be auditioning for Thoroughly Modern Millie on January 15th, and The Producers in mid May. My goal roles in Millie are Millie and Miss Dorothy. I can reach notes that are in the first soprano range, but in choir I am primarily a second soprano. I have a noticable vibrato (I don't know if that's a good or bad thing for these roles.)  And as for the Producers, I am only auditioning for a choir part, as I cannot pull off the lead female role. What songs are good. For my vocal type for either of these shows? I know that the director of Millie would prefer a song from the actual show.
Thank you for any help that you can give me!

Answer
Hi, Anna –

Thank you for a great question.

In the Real Broadway world, you cannot be both a mezzo soprano – especially for a role that sits low in the vocal register and needs a solid belter and one who is likewise an A1 dancer – and a lyric-type soprano with a legitimate High F#.

At the audition, you may be handed a Sign-In sheet. You can only check one box when it comes to that question about your Vocal Category. Which one will you check? Mezzo-soprano or Soprano? And they're not interested in any qualifying explanations, like, "but in choir...."

There couldn't be a more perfect example of two totally different roles written for two totally different vocal categories. "Miss Dorothy" in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE is a soprano. If you are a soprano and you have leeway to sing from the show, then prove your soprano chops with "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life". If you sing the piece all the way through, then the range covers C#4 to F#5. And even though the scene in which the song occurs is a moment of broad comedy, it is definitely the territory of a soprano – first or second. The song is borrowed from an early and major Broadway hit, NAUGHTY MARIETTA. In that original score, the song is placed a minor-third higher. That means the climax note is High A. Definitely the property of a first soprano. No one played and sang those operetta heroines better than movie star Jeanette MacDonald. In fact, the context in which the song happens is virtually the same in both shows. That's why it's a great gimmick for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE.

You can order the vocal selections to THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE by clicking-on the URL below:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Thoroughly-Modern-Millie-Vocal-Selections/49

That collection also includes "Millie's" big number, "Gimme Gimme". If you are really more on the alto side and can belt as well, then prove it with this song. Its range extends from Ab3 to D5. Millie is definitely the role of a mezzo-soprano with a strong and vibrant belt.

The same principle applies to THE PRODUCERS. You know you want to audition for the Ensemble. You are auditioning for a position in that Ensemble. That means either as a soprano or a mezzo-soprano. Again, which is it going to be? You will be competing against other singers who are very certain about their vocal category, a list of credits to prove it, and their audition songs are hot and ready to go.

Consider "We're In The Money" from 42nd STREET. Click on the URL below. It will take you to a web site where you can download the song in the key that best shows-off your true and marketable range:
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0045920&

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I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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