<p>I know that you shouldn't sing a song that can only be sung by someone of a specific race (ie: Flower Drum Song), but what if the song does not say specifically that the character is black, in this case? Of course he is, but if one would hear just the song, they wouldn't automatically assume (because we all know what assuming does to "u" and "me" :P) that the character is black. So would that be alright for an audition?</p>
<p>Robert, can you give more information? Is there something in the song that indicates that the character is African-American, or do you mean that most people who know anything about musical theater rep would know that the song is sung, in the musical for which it is written, by a black character?</p>
<p>I have to put in my 2 cents here, but I'm sure some would disagree with me. My daughter sings this song from Once on This Island (forget the name, but it's a BEAUTIFUL song and is great for her voice), but she won't sing it at an audition because she said "it's supposed to be sung by someone who's black", but NOTHING in the song indicates that the person is black. Also, "Let's Hear it for the Boy" she sings very well; belty AND high notes at the end, but again, she says "it's supposed to be for a black girl to sing" (she also compares herself to the Broadway original and doesn't think she measures up!) I disagree. As long as the song states nothing about one's race/etc, I think it's ok to sing.. I'd love to hear from anyone who is involved with casting on this question....</p>
<p>Way back in middle school my D looked into singing a song from Aida for a Thespian competition (Thespians are adjudicated by many college auditors). She learned that singing a song sung by an african american (when she was not, and that would be out of character for the song) would be frowned upon so she decided against it. (Later in high school she won it for two yrs. as she knew there were enough materials out there to let her stand out without any questions.) </p>
<p>Lesson learned - there are so many songs out there.....why rock the boat?</p>
<p>"Once on this island" is kind of a different story. Rather than about light and dark black (the peasants and the beaxhommes(sp?)), it can also be about class division (no color).
But anything about race doesn't necessarily have to be mentioned in the song, the entire context of the song is that of a black character.
There's also a difference between the character being black and the actor playing the character being black. Like Audra Mcdonald in Carousel for example, it didn't have to be a black actor. But shows like Ragtime, Aida, Purlie, St. Louis Woman, Fences, The Wiz, Showboat, and many others are meant specifically for black characters.
I would say all auditors for college auditions will know if the song is meant to be sung by a black character. So, even if the song doesn't indicate it, the way the song fits into the show, the way the character sings the song and feels about it will almost always have to do with being black.</p>
<p>I figure if the character can realistically be cast as your race, then there's no reason you can't do it.</p>
<p>And rossji - Rusty certainly isn't necessarily a black character; I've seen the play a few times and seen only white girls do the role.</p>
<p>I agree with you, Ninnynoddle. I was going to call you
"Ninny" for short, but decided against it, lol!</p>
<p>When you go out of character, sex, age or anything that is very, very much a part of the song, you are treading on dangerous ground. It can be done very well, but the fact of the matter is that in an audition for an 18 year old kid, it is unlikely to be earth shaking. You do not know who your audience is. So you are taking a chance. But then what is youth without chance? My suggestions is if it is truly a favorite song, done so very well, include it, but not at every audition. Having a few songs is a good idea anyways. Sometimes you will be asked to do another piece that is of a certain genre and it's great to say, well, here's one I don't usually do, and out of character, but I love, and let it loose, when the interest is on you and your talent.</p>
<p>"Caroline or Change" has great songs
"Once On This Island" of course, but be careful. I got to Syracuse and a professor said that they had 4 people sing this song in one audition (and audition usually has about 15 girls). "Waiting for Life to Begin" is becoming very overdone in the Musical theatre audition realm for black ppl and ppl of other races. </p>
<p>"Ain't Misbehavin"- good show
"Smokey Joe's Cafe'- great song selection</p>
<p>I really love Waiting for Life, which is another song my daughter likes to sing, but that wasn't the one I was referring to. My daughter just told me it's Forever Yours...</p>
<p>I think the OP, who is caucasian, was asking if he could sing a song normally done by a black character. As some people have mentioned, it depends on the song. For example, I wouldn't suggest that you do a song from Porgy & Bess, but you could probably get away with Smokey Joe's songs.</p>
<p>My D asked this very question at the beginning of this past season's auditions. She is caucasian and insisted on singing "One Night Only" from Dreamgirls. It does not have any references to being AA, however, only an AA woman would be cast in that part. After many cautions from those on this website and including my cousin who is in the musical theatre industry in NYC, she stuck to her guns as she nails this song everytime and has a perfect voice for it. He agreed that the song shows her range, sound etc. off perfectly, but still it would be a bad choice. During her Marymount audition, she nailed the song, but raised many eyebrows including that of the accompanist. MMC accepted her for everything but Musical Theatre. NYU commented that she was an amazing risk taker and would be perfect for ETW rather than Cap21. HA
She has decided to stay at her current university in the Musical Theatre program as they like her spunkiness and risk taking and she gets to experiment with lots of different characters, etc. They just presented her with a sophomore scholarship and Excellence in Acting award for her portrayal of Jeannette in "The Full Monty". Anyway, freedom_fri911, if you want to be accepted in a traditional program at one of the top MT schools, do NOT try to be creative and different with your audition song no matter how great you sound. It was more important for my D to be able to explore and experiment so the exercise helped her decide where she wants to study for the next 3 or 4 years. This is probably not the route most MT program aspirees are wanting to take.</p>
<p>This is fascinating stuff!</p>
<p>my theory is, as long as you have a creative baackstory that drives whatever song you sing, you can get away with it. Of course, I will never play Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray being that I'm black. But if I want to sing Good Morning Baltimore at an audition, it could definitely work. Same thing for a caucasion singing "Forever Yours" from Once on this Island or "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. "One Night Only," however, is overdone, so I've heard. So is "And I Am Telling You." Just be careful with pop black musicals such as Dreamgirls and The Wiz. Their songs are extremely overdone.</p>
<p>Hope I helped.</p>
<p>"Good Morning Baltimore" - My favorite Hairspray song. But does it have to be sung by someone with a lot of hair, sprayed into place? Could a gamine girl with a wispy pixie cut do it?</p>
<p>Well, you're not going to wear a wig to an audition, so the hair shouldn't matter! The song doesn't refer to her weight, but of course the character is supposed to be heavy. I also suspect that this song is overdone, especially after the release of the movie. For those reasons I'd suggest that you stay away from this one, especially for a college audition.</p>
<p>^ditto. yea, i forgot about the movie.</p>