Musical Theatre: " Final Audition "

For this Monday the whole class has to prepare for one of our previous assignments, one of them being the final audition. The purpose of this assignment is to allow learners the chance to showcase the skills they have learned throughout the academic year in the most basic certainty of our business, the audition.

We have to prepare song a 32 bar cut of an appropriate musical theatre song and present a one minute contemporary monologue. Also we must to provide a list of audition pieces that you considered for this audition. Our list must contain at least 3 songs and at least 2 monologues. And last thing which we also have to do is to choose one song and one monologue, and produce a document or video describing , explaining, and analysing the suitability of our choice. It may help to compare our final choice with the other choices that you considered.

We take audition for : "Violet" by Tesori and Crwaley , "American Idiot" by Green Day and Armstrong and "Rock of Ages" by D'Arienzo

My 3 songs are :

1) "Before its over" from Dogfight Musical
2)"I know where I've been " from Hairspray Musical
3)"Somebody to love" from Musical We Will Rock You

My first choice is song from Dogfight called "Before Its over".
Playwright: Peter Duchan
Composer: Pasek and Paul
Lyricists: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

My comments for this song:

I chose this song because first of all I really like this musical and I always wanted to sing some songs from it. I think this song can show of my soft side of singing but at the same time my range in high notes in refrain at end of the song. Also I think this song can be a good example to show all my acting skills such as characterisation (of young woman). This song will allow me to express my emotions through acting the song. This a calm song, I think it is a good song to start my showcase because with every following song will have a faster pace and will be stronger. Also, I like the mood in this song and the way how it is built; from slow and quiet to the big ending. I think that kind of songs are more interesting for the audience because they always build tension and the audience don't know what to expect. Also I think is very good comparing with musical "Violet " because as we know the play “Violet” takes place in the mid-1960’s and focuses on a young woman in search for a miracle, and who bears a horrendous scar on her face from an accident when she was a child. The musical opens with Violet boarding a Greyhound bus that is traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she hopes to be physically healed by a famous TV preacher. On her journey of self-discovery, she meets several people, including two soldiers, who soon become her friends. As the young adults traveling advances, so does their understanding of many important lessons and choices about life and growing up. Throughout the play, Violet flashes back to her childhood memories, especially those moments with her father, whom she condemns total responsibility for the accident. Ultimately, Violet experiences a form of healing that is truly more important than the physical miracle she was searching for.
So as you can see this musical have a bit similar story and some of the characters are similar to musical Dogfight too that's why I think this song is one of the good choices.

My another choice is from Hairspray- "I know where I've been"
Music: Marc Shaiman
Lyric: Marc Shaiman and Scot Wittman

My comments:I chose this song because I think it can show of my range (low and high pitch) and the control of my voice. This song is quite powerful with strong characters. I think I can connect with this song and the character easily because I understand how difficult it was for them to fight for equal rights in that time and even now some people still have to do this. This song is suitable for me because I can show my full vocal range (not just high note as in first song), also I can show power of my voice (how strong it is) and a little improvisation at the end where I can play around with my voice . From the acting side, this song allowed me to show the leader of the crowd of people which follow me and fight at the same time for the same thing as me. I will be able to present a strong character who knows what she’s fighting for. In this song I am a kind of person which is an example, a role model for people to mobilise themselves to revolution.

My last choice is song from musical "We will rock you" called "Somebody to love":
Playwright: Ben Elton
Lyricists: Queen, Ben Elton

My comments:

This is my last choice. I think these 3 songs are similar to each other but different at the same time.  They are kind of  contemporary-rocky songs which will show off all my acting and vocal skills such as: range(high and low pitches) truthfulness, connection with the characters and lyric, power of my voice in soft and strong ways. Also, I can show how clearly and easily I can sing as well as how well I can manipulate and control my voice. Moreover, from vocal skills these songs will allow me to show my colour, tune and emission of my voice. From the acting side I can show off: good voice emission, diction, ability to analyse and understand the text, dramaturgy, the ability to evoke feelings and play, improvisation, stage fight, observation and imitation of my characters. These songs are very hard to sing but I know I can do this. Whereas this song is closer to the musical "Rock of Ages " because It’s the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strips last legendary venues, a place where sex machine Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes). But the rock and roll fairy-tale is about to end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherri and the gang save the strip–and themselves–before it's too late? Only the music of hit bands Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and more hold the answer.

Also I think this song is good choice for the musical " American Idiot" because the story, expanded from that of the concept album, centers on three disaffected young men, Johnny, Will, and Tunny. Johnny and Tunny flee a stifling suburban lifestyle and parental restrictions, while Will stays home to work out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Heather. The former pair look for meaning in life and try out the freedom and excitement of the city. Tunny quickly gives up on life in the city, joins the military, and is shipped off to war. Johnny turns to drugs and finds a part of himself that he grows to dislike, has a relationship and experiences lost love.

To summarise I think this song is closer to these musicals because of the musical style, tone, genre, power of the songs, the way the they are sang and performed, mood and topic of songs and this is why I have decided to sing this song in my musical. It is the closest song in terms of the topic and vocally to the musicals, and also through them I can show myself from the vocal side as well as from the acting side.

My choices of monologues:

1) "Like a Virgin"
2) "Lost in Yonkers"

'Like a Virgin'

No, you go. I don't feel up to it... I've got to live a bit. Maxine, I'm dying. I don't know why but I am. I don't know why I've been picked to have such a shit-awful life. What have I done that's so bloody wrong?
So you can piss off with your, 'Let's be jolly,' routine. With you, 'Lets pretend everything's alright and we'll have a laugh like we used to in the old day's.'... Do you know something? I've never had sex. I'm a virgin. Yeah I know what I said, what we said, but...well, they were just stories full of me, us trying to be gorwn-up. But I'm never gonna grow  up. I'll never grow up and be a woman and have children. Why me? Why the fucking hell does it have to be me? It's not fair. How would you like it if someone told you that you were gonna die? Come on, it's not easy is it? YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. You have got four weeks to live. What are you going to do? It's not easy is it, is it, and people are so full of understanding... so full of shit. 'I'd go on holiday, I'd travel.' What is the point in spending your time in spending your time in strange lands with strange people? S you'll have lots of happy memories and photographs to look back on. When? I haven't got time, I'm dying. What's the point in laying on the beach getting a tan? So I'll look good in coffin. So people will be able to gork into my coffin with...with..tear-stained eyes and say...'She looks really good'...'She's the best suntanned corpse I've ever seen'... Well, they can all fuck off. Sometimes I feel as though I should have some dignity and write poems and raise money for charity an' all that...Be a symbol for other people to look up to. But why should I? What has anyone ever done for me? Look at you, you're pathetic stood there not wanting to say anything in case you hurt my feelings. Making excuses for me. 'It's her condition... It's understandable... She's just a bit down.' Well don't patronise me. Tell me to fuck off. Slap me. Go on. Go on. Go on, do something.

 

'Like a Virgin' written by Gordon Steel in 1998.

Synopsis

 Inspired and written around Madonna's album 'Like a Virgin,' explores the lives of two best friends who are filled with all the teenage interests such as boys, parties, clothes and secret hand shakes. The two girls, Angela and Maxine are completely obsessed with Madonna, like many young girls in the 80's, and have dreams to be famous until Angela's path changes their feature forever.
Angela

 The character I am playing during the monologue is Angela, a 16 year old girl who has dream to be famous. Angela appears to be a normal teenage girl growing up in the 1980 however she is dealing with much more than any other 16 year old. Angela has Leukaemia and during the monologue she has just been told that she has 4 weeks to live. From looking at reviews of the production it appears that Angela warms up slowly however rapidly changes from a go happy teenager to a young girl battling a deadly illness. On top of her illness she had also got to deal with the reality of her parents, Mum and Dad , breakup. The family from Northern England.

 

The monologue I am performing is from Angela herself. She is in her bedroom with best friend Maxine reflecting on how society has reacted to the news of her life expectancy which Angela sees as very unrealistic and pathetic. She explains to Maxine how she finds it unfair that she is going to die and try's to explain what it is like to be told you will die. It is a very sensitive monologue that touches a lot of different emotions from sad to angry and from depressed to aggressive.

Lost in Yonkers

Me! He wants me !He wants to marry me! I want to marry him ...I want to have his children... I want my own babies.

You think I can’t have healthy babies, Momma? Well, I can...I’m as strong as an ox. I’ve worked in that store and taken care of you by myself since I’m twelve years old, that’s how strong I am... like steel, Momma.  Isn’t that how we’re supposed to be?...But my babies won’t die, because I’ll love them and take care of them...And they won’t get sick like me or Gert or be weak like Eddie and Louie...My babies will be happier than we were, because I’ll teach them to be happy....not to grow up and run away or never visit when they’re older or not be able to breathe because they’re so frightened...and never, ever to make them spend their lives rubbing my back and my legs because you never had anyone around who loved you enough to want to touch you, because you made it so clear you never wanted to be touched with love...Do you know what it’s like to touch steel, Momma?  It’s hard and it’s cold, and I want to be warm and soft with my children.... Let me have my babies, Momma.  Because I have to love somebody.  I have to love someone who’ll love me back before I die...Give me that , Momma, and I promise you, you’ll never worry about being alone....Because you’ll have us...Me and my husband and my babies...Louie, tell her how wonderful that would be...Gert, wouldn’t that make her happy?....Momma? Please say yes....I need you to say yes...Please?

Character name: Bella

Written by: Neil Simon

Played by: Mercedes Ruehl [US], Maureen Lipman[UK]

Character's age: mid-30s

Character's type: She is pathetically affectionate ;and a mess at dressing.

Time and place:1942;an apartment in Yonkers, New York

Situation: Bella is a little retarded and has been looking after her mother ;now she wants to move out and marry an older man. Her brother Louie and sister Gert are also there.

General comments:
I think that the song “somebody to Love” and a monologue from the play “Like a Virgin” are the closest to the 3 musicals I have chosen because they are very similar in terms of topic. In every of the 3 musicals, the main characters are struggling and fighting different problems such as drugs, money, death of a close person, travelling and seeking a place they can call their own and fighting for a better tomorrow. They are fighting for their dreams, love, family, equality and freedom. After analysing and explaining the 3 songs and 2 monologues, I think that they also show off my best vocals and acting skills. I feel comfortable for when I have to present them on the stage and I think that they are a good example and a good choice for the audition. I think so because it is hard to choose a song and a monologue to represent and reflect fully the message and meaning behind the 3 musicals because they vary in style, atmosphere, music style, tone… But in my opinion I think that the closest representatives for the 3 musicals will be the song and the monologue.


*Some of the information is based on Wikipedia and from other different resources