I’m going to audition for Once Upon a Mattress next week and I need a song. I am planning on using Madonna’s “Borderline”, but in the event that it isn’t acceptable, what’s a good Broadway musical song to use? I tried searching but couldn’t get a good list. Any actresses/singers know something suitable?
Congratulations on having an audition!
Got a couple of questions… The singing auditions that I’ve done required me to bring 3 sets of sheet music. One for the accompianist - one for the casting director, and 1 for me. No taped music was used. Does this audition allow you to use taped music, or is this audition for more than just singing?
If just singing, basic standards should be fine. They are interested in your vocal range and your vocal ability. Personally, don’t choose anything too slow - it’ll take long enough as it is. Also don’t choose anything too fast for you to be understood clearly.
Examples can be anything from America the Beautiful to Various Hymns to basically anything. Choose something that you’re comfortable with and that you sound good doing.
Good Luck!
Look at me - I created a new word by fusing “accompanist” with “Pianist”. Choose whichever word you prefer.
It’s a very loose kind of audition, I suppose, because it’s for the on-base community theater group. All I know is I’m supposed to sing something. Past musical auditions I’ve had elsewhere required just one piece of sheet music. So for this, I don’t know. I was planning on finding sheet music for whatever songs I choose…I know the audition will also involve reading from the script of the play, but that’s all I know.
I just want to say, acrossthesea, BRAVO to you for getting involved in something. I’ve been worried about you.
Well, there are a rather large number of good audition songs out there, but not all of them will help you.
Do you know your vocal range? How much singing experience do you have?
Some songs are a lot harder than others.
the only auditions i’ve ever had have required one set of music for the accompianist (i really like that word, by the way) and i sang from memory. you might want to check, sometimes they don’t care what you sing as long as it’s something, other times they want a song from a broadway show. also, some want to hear what your emotional range is like and ask for you to prepare contrasting pieces (one upbeat, one ballad, something like that). but it all depends on the people in charge. are you auditioning for a specific role or for the chorus or is it just general?
also, what’s your voice part?
stay away from ‘on my own’ from les mis. it’s possibly the most overdone audition song of all time. and some consider doing anything from rent a bad move.
do you have any favorite musicals?
I wouldn’t do a rock song for a musical comedy—find something goofier, something that will show off your light acting technique as well as your voice. What role are you going out for?
If you do “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” make sure that you don’t pronounce “potato” and “tomato” the same way every time they occur in the song, like someone who auditioned for a friend’s jazz band. Instead of:[ul]
I say po-tay-to, and you say po-tah-to,
I say to-may-to, and you say to-mah-to . . .[/ul]. . . she sang, without irony,[ul]
I say po-tay-to, and you say po-tay-to,
I say to-may-to, and you say to-may-to . . .[/ul]. . . she didn’t get the job.
Uh, yeah.
Christopher Walken did that on Saturday Night Live.
My standard audition song was always “Shy,” but you shouldn’t do something from the show you’re auditioning for…“Show Me” from “My Fair Lady” is a good one, as it has some difficult-sounding bits that would highlight your technique.
“Borderline” is a great audition song, and one I wouldn’t have thought of. Very sellable. Break a leg!
Last time i auditioned I used Poisoning Pigeons in the Park by Tom Lehrer.
I’m not sure what I’d be considered to be, vocal wise, because I’ve never done professional type singing. I’m somewhere between a soprano and an alto. I know that doesn’t help. I can go pretty high, and I can sing in a middle range also. I don’t have a piano so I can’t judge the actual notes I can sing, either. The last time I had a voice audition for something was when I was 13, and I used “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, because my music teacher told me to. That song was waayy too high and difficult for me.
I was thinking of “Memory” from Cats because it’s currently ALL that comes to mind, but that one seems more cliched than On My Own!
I don’t have a role in mind that I’m auditioning for specifically in this play, but I have a feeling that if I get in I’m going to end up being the Queen. They have a habit of casting me as the mother in plays here, interesting since I’m younger than the people who play my children usually. I don’t know anything about the vocal pitch of the queen, just that she sings a song. We did Once Upon a Mattress in 6th grade, but every girl was a soprano then. (I played Lady Somebody-or other back then.)
Interestingly, I can still remember most lyrics to most songs from this show, yet I can’t for the life of me remember most Broadway show tunes sung by women that I’ve learned since then!
Oh well, hopefully I can go with Borderline, even if it’s considered bad to usually pick popular music. It’s an old song, at least I didn’t pick Britney Spears or something…
Good luck with the audition; Once upon a Mattress is a show I’d love to do, if it ever shows up near me.
Pick something light if you can. I used “Stars” for Into the Woods, and it was a huge mistake. That said, if the audition’s in a few weeks and you’ve practiced Borderline, go with it no matter WHAT kind of song it is.