"Golden Age" performers?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>My D is starting to define her type now that she's in her second year of her program. And she tells me she is a "Golden Age" soprano, meaning (I think, as one who is not a theater expert) her voice is more suited to the more classical musicals like Oklahoma, Music Man, and the like (she would be a natural for Gentlemen's Guide, for example). She is learning to do more belting and more pop rock type singing, but she sees her strength in the more classical genre.</p>

<p>For those of you with more knowledge of the industry, I'm just curious where you see things going over the next few years. Will there be more classical type musicals/revivals, more pop-rock, etc? I think she'll be adaptable, but just wondering where folks see things evolving. </p>

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<p>Due to the quantity of new works by young composers/lyricists (like Pasek and Paul mentioned on another thread) there will be more contemporary style musicals but the classics will never disappear. That’s why they are called the classics! The one piece of advice I can give is being a technically trained dancer is equally important to both, and is instrumental to getting callbacks to even have the opportunity to sing. </p>

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<p>I co-wrote an article on this subject: “Trends in Musical Theatre Voice: An Analysis of Audition Requirements for Singers,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 28, Issue 3, May 2014. We analyzed 1,268 casting notices posted on Backstage.com for performers age 18-24. We were specifically interested in what type of music they were requesting. Only 68 notices (~5%) specifically asked for “legit” singing (i.e. classical based singing). The other 95% requested traditional musical theatre rep, contemporary musical theatre rep, or pop/rock songs. Yes, there are soprano roles in all of those shows, but the type of singing is different than “legit” soprano. Even the legit shows are changing, listen to Laura Osnes sing Cinderella. I believe the singers that are most likely to work consistently are those who master their entire voice and embrace all of the vocal qualities needed for modern musical theatre. I think Laura Osnes has done this very well and is a good model for young performers.</p>

<p>Will there be more classical/legit musicals in the future? I don’t think so. I think we are going to see the numbers either stabilize or fall because of money. Legit musicals require pit orchestras that are significantly larger than contemporary and pop/rock musicals. You can get away with eight or nine musicians for a show like American Idiot, whereas Cinderella requires twenty-one instruments. At around $1,200 per musician per week, Cinderella costs $15,600 more to produce per week due to musicians alone. That’s $62,400 per month, $811,200 per year. That’s a lot of money. If you research recent negotiations between the musicians and producers, you will find out that its much more complicated than my example, but the idea is the same. You also usually need a larger ensemble for Golden Age musicals as compared to shows such as Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, and many of the other rock musicals. Classical shows require greater expenditures and they tend to sell fewer tickets. According to Broadway World sales for last week were:</p>

<p>Classic Shows
Gentlemen’s Guide - $974,924
Cinderella - $1,115,935
On the Town - $885,138
Phantom - $1,131,137</p>

<p>Contemporary and Pop/Rock Shows
Wicked - $2,432,132
The Lion King - $2,422,719
The Book of Mormon - $1,875,135
Aladdin - $1,759,955
Matilda - $1,454,493
Beautiful - $1,405,434
Kinky Boots - $1,314,521</p>

<p>These shows are produced by business men who are seeking to earn a profit. If the show can’t make them money, they probably aren’t going to be interested in producing it. </p>

<p>You also have to consider the age group of the theatre going public. Right now the retirees who are age 65-75 are people who were in their twenties from somewhere between 1959 to 1969. They were alive and probably enjoying the birth of rock ‘n’ roll as it happened. So when they see shows such as Memphis and Motown or All Shook Up, they tend to be interested because it reminds them of when they were young. In contrast, my grandmother who introduced me to musical theatre was in her twenties during the 1940s and she saw classical music and classical musical theatre as the pinnacle of singing and theatrical performance. It was what was on the radio then and her parents introduced her to it. One of my favorite memories is of her telling me to take a girl on a date and sit by a campfire singing good songs like Old Susannah and Clementine :smile: She was a big influence on me and I fell in love with opera. However, as that generation passes on will their tastes? It seems not, opera companies are struggling all over the world and fewer and fewer regional theatres are producing legit shows. </p>

<p>Here’s what I tell my students: In today’s market, you need to be as flexible as possible. If you can sing legit really well, do it. But also learn to belt. Most belters don’t learn to sing legit very well and many sopranos are afraid of belting or think they can’t. Both types can learn to use their voices for belting and legit singing, it just takes work and the correct guidance. If they can do both, they have a huge advantage in the market place. Then they don’t have to worry about what the future is going to be like. They can do both and they are ready for whatever comes next. </p>

<p>~VT</p>

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<p>@VoiceTeacher‌ - how does this translate for the men? It seems that everywhere you turn, there are tenors, tenors, tenors - many of whom don’t seem to have much of a bottom range. After awhile, to my ear, they start to sound a bit thin. Many modern MT composers seem to be writing for ever higher “pay” note in multiple songs, w/o consideration for what that can do to a performer’s voice show after show. In some cases it seems gratuitous - when listening to CD (yes, I’m old enough to still own and listen to those) of Next to Normal, it is Next to Impossible to tell the father from the son based on the singing range. I get what you’re saying about embracing your full range and to be flexible in how you use it, but would Robert Goulet and John Raitt have careers in today’s musical theatre? Or will we be trapped in the Neverland of male voices that never grow up?</p>

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<p>My view…</p>

<p>A great deal of new musical theater works have a more contemporary style of music and not as much of the legit voice (there are exceptions). However, the classics (which are, well, classic!) still get revived on Broadway and are popular in regional theaters and such. So, there will always be a need for the legit singer in those. But new works tend to be more of the contemporary MT sound or else a pop/rock sound of music. </p>

<p>That said, I agree it is good to be versatile and to train to have a wide range. If you enter college with a strength in legit, it would be best to also learn how to belt and to sing pop/rock. Vice versa too! HOWEVER, while being versatile and having a wide range is a positive thing, I think when it comes to professional theater, one should know what their own niche is and play to their strengths and type. I don’t think you can be everything. For example, my daughter entered college as a strong belter. In college, she strengthened her legit soprano. She can sing that way. But her forte is the contemporary musical theater sound, including pop/rock/folk/jazz/soul. So, she tends to audition for parts that fit her strength, even though she can sing legit and traditional musical theater too. </p>

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<p>Good luck singing Guettel, LaChiusa, et al without a strong legit foundation. </p>

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<p>I agree that one needs to be able to sing legit and to be able to belt and sing contemporary MT and pop/rock. Any BFA program should teach a range of those vocal skills. I know my D’s program did that and she has that range and can sing all these types. I am just saying that when it comes to auditions and casting, she tends to be seen for her strengths and her niche, which in her case is not as much of the legit soprano roles and more of the contemporary MT and belting and pop/rock/folk. Can she do either? Yes. Is that important? Yes! But I still think playing to one’s strengths is a good thing to do in professional auditions and I don’t think it is any accident that the roles she tends to be cast in are in her areas of strength. </p>

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<p>I guess I didn’t mention that our stats were for all musical theatre auditions in NYC. Including Broadway, off-Broadway, tours, regional theatre, and cruise ships. So the information is indeed taking regional theatre productions into account. </p>

<p>@vocal1046‌ The problem is there are hardly any performances of Guettel and LaChiusa. I searched both composers on MTI and R&H for upcoming performances, there are zero performances currently scheduled for Floyd Collins, Myths and Hymns, Marie Christine, Bernarda Alba, Giant, and Queen of the Mist. There is one performance of Wild Party and 9 of Light in the Piazza. </p>

<p>In contrast, there are:
147 performances of Footloose coming up
97 of High School Musical
76 of Joseph
73 of Jesus Christ Superstar
59 of In the Heights
36 of “9 to 5”
30 of Bring it on
28 of Children of Eden
24 of Aida
21 of Dogfight
19 of Fame</p>

<p>The Classics?
107 of Oklahoma
92 of Cinderella
31 of King and I
29 of Carousel</p>

<p>These are regional, community, university, and high school productions. So even those venues are moving in the direction of pop/rock and contemporary. </p>

<p>As for low voices, I do think there is work out there for them. The agents and casting directors who visit my school always say that everyone wants to be a tenor and now they are having a hard time finding lower voices to fill in the ensemble. As men get older, they grown into a lot of roles that require lower voices. What I always tell my lower voice men is start listening to country music. There are a lot of country music based shows out there and basses/baritones are needed for that rep. Composers write what they want to write. If we get some really good baritone voices out there, then maybe contemporary composers will start getting excited about lower voices and begin writing for them again.</p>

<p>~VT</p>

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<p>It’s true that “composers write what they want to write.” Many of the up and coming MT composers and ones already established in the last decade or so, are writing a more contemporary style of music in their musicals. As one teeny tiny example, my D has workshops coming up for two musicals she was commissioned to create by two different theaters. Both these musicals will have a contemporary style of music as that is what she tends to write. Truly, many of the emerging composers today are writing in this style. </p>

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<p>Hurrah for that one theatre that is doing LaChuisa’s, The Wild Party. Wish I could see it. </p>

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<p>Perhaps of interest to this discussion is a prime example of versatility in today’s MT world of music…</p>

<p>Take Audra McDonald…undeniably one of the greatest MT soprano actresses of all time. She has a gorgeous legit soprano. But she is quite versatile. And besides singing classical MT standards, her rep includes contemporary MT. Some of you may know that she has just embarked on a big concert tour this past week (currently in CA). I believe her set list, includes, besides a lot of legit MT songs, many songs by contemporary MT composers, including up and coming ones. I believe these include Jason Robert Brown, Adam Gwon, Gabriel Kahane, Dave Malloy, and others. :)</p>

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<p>Mti and rnh encapsulate high school and community theatre venues and may not necessarily a reflection of available professional work. Actors equity website is probably more reflective, yet a limited data source.<br>
Nevertheless completely agree with soozievt. You’ll primarily get work in your strength. My d’s professional shows have required immense vocal skills/training (mikado, into woods, les mis, tale of two cities, etc)…her strength. She is one of those individuals that’s a classically trained opera singer and can belt safely/consistently to a high c. As such she also gets roles that belt like tracey in hairspray and jo in little women. Contemporary shows like american idiot are less her genre…but than again she isn’t a dancer so chorus line and elf are also unlikely jobs. She’s become very good at knowing her type. Which is one of the reasons she choose vp over mt for college. She’s taking acting and dance classes to mitigate her “weaker” areas but is focusing on her strength.</p>

<p>As an interesting side note, her vocal teacher asked her which she really wanted to do…opera or musical theatre? Her response was…“I love them both…i just want to perform”. He said it was the best answer he had heard.</p>

<p>Morale of the story… love what you do and don’t try to fill whatever mold is hot.</p>

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<p>For what it’s worth, the guy who graduated from D’s program last year who D always considered a true “Golden Age” type has been steadily employed since graduation, with most of the work resulting from his strong dance skills.</p>

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<p>Come to Toronto! I’ll make sure you have great seats, and you can meet M.J. LaChiusa, as he’s coming to the show. :)</p>

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<p>@alwaysamom, I have been spending a lot of time in Canada lately. What’s a few thousand more miles? :slight_smile: </p>