Expert: J. Spyder Isaacson - 12/13/2007

Question
Hi,

I am a female senior in high school, and I am looking forward to college musical theater auditions in February.  I learn quickly and have had much experience with theater, dance, and vocals.  I'm very confident, but I'm having trouble finding audition pieces.  We are asked to prepare two contrasting 16-bar cuts from a published musical.  First, I'm having difficulty understanding this; secondly, I don't know what to sing.  I have a very large range...  I'm guessing low C (octave below) to high C (two octaves), I'm not a shy person so I can attempt belting, and with practice, it will sound great.  I'm not a small person, but I'm not big either.  I am the tallest girl in my theater class at 5'6".  Roles I have played include Gertrude in Seussical, Ida in Honk!, and the Mother in the Christmas Story, to name a few.  I would love to sing something like "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from Phantom, and my director suggested "Shy" from Once Upon a Mattress.  The school said that they want to hear something that shows my range and my talent.  I also need a monologue that is no more than a minute.  I have plenty of material, but nothing that fits me, an 18-year-old Jewish Girl.  Any help is greatly appreciated!  Thanks a lot!!


Answer
I don't blame you at all for being confused - sometimes the requirements for auditions can be both confusing and daunting!

First of all, when they talk about "bars" of music, they're also referred to (frequently) as measures.  Soooooo . . . 16 bars=16 measures.  Not much, so you've got to choose carefully within your chosen music.

As far as published musicals -- oh BOY!!!  You have (as the saying goes) an embarrassment of riches!  I'm not sure which Cs your question is referring to (consider: I'm a low baritone, so my Cs are different than yours!), but it sounds like you've got a REALLY good range, so we can assume a great deal.

(Side note: 5'6" and the tallest?  I'm 5'8" and considered just barely below average here . . . !  This DOES explain the role of Gertrude in Seussical . . . !)

Your director is dead on, especially if you are a "belter", or could be.  (That's how I got my start in the musicals - I've since taken voice lessons [a good idea for any aspiring singing actor], and now have a nice finesse . . . although I can still belt when necessary!)

"Shy" is a wonderful song for a belter, and is a good example of the belter style, although, with the limitation of 16 bars, I would suggest going with the chorus, as it still shows a good range while making the best use of the belting.  (Just FYI, in case you didn't know it, the legendary Carol Burnett and theatre legend Ethel Merman were/are belters, and Carol Burnett originated the role of Fred in "Once Upon a Mattress" on Broadway.)  Another option, based mostly upon your heritage, is "Matchmaker" from "Fiddler on the Roof" - it's a good song on a number of levels.

As far as contrast, my best advice would be to consider something along the lines of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ, Superstar (same composer as Phantom, BTW).  It's a challenging song for most singers, both belter and non.  Also, don't discount anything from Stephen Sondheim (another good choice is "Send In the Clowns" from "A Little Night Music").  BTW, if you're surprised by those songs being from musicals, yes, that's where they originated, along with a lot of other pop hits!

Now the monologue is a MUCH harder issue.  Have you consulted with your director?  They might have a better idea than I do.  There are quite a number of REALLY good resources, which I'm sure you're already aware of - the local library, the Internet, etc.  If you are really trying to be true of your heritage, then consider monologues by Woody Allen (gender notwithstanding, good writing is good writing) and monologues from Barbara Streisand (even movies; it's a growing trend amongst young auditionees to use movie monologues as audition pieces).  At the same time, I would *definitely* recommend audition pieces that are *contrary* to your heritage and nature, if your ethics allow.  A lot of directors would like to see how you do doing something *different* than what would normally be expected (a semi-raunchy monologue, definitely out of character for me, landed me the role in a world-premiere comedy . . . !).

Wow, that's a lot of advice.  Let me know if it helps - or not, I *do* take follow-ups seriously - and break a leg!

-- Spyder