See- songs like “You can’t get a man with a gun” (Annie Get Your Gun) or “Take Back Your Mink” from Guys and Dolls are great songs but the accent thing…
At the end of the day, I do not think many people will disqualify you from their audition process for singing an overdone song. We are looking for the next best thing. When we publish “do not” lists, we are trying to help you avoid songs that may limit your ability to show us that you are the next best thing and not just like everyone else. We are not trying to put you in a box or take away your favorite songs.
I rarely hear an overdone song done well, which leaves me thinking “why didn’t they pick something else?” If we have time, I will ask what else is in their book and will usually hear other selections. I remember one time in my five years at my current school when a student came in and killed “Pulled.” As in cast recording level performance. It was mind blowing and she’s now in our program and doing incredible work. One audition out of several thousand sticks out to me for what it is worth.
In general, picking something on the do not lists usually communicates one or more of the following: you do not know the rep that well, you didn’t do your research, you are not that serious about the art form as a whole and are only attracted to the big hits, you are new to this and just don’t know better, you didn’t have good guidance, or best case scenario you are amazing and you sang the song because it is the absolute best thing you know and you can kill it. Lack of experience and/or guidance, not a problem. The other reasons can raise red flags. Again, not necessarily a deal breaker, but it is still frustrating for the audition panel as we sit there wondering why are people still singing “???.”
The songs on the list you pasted have become less overdone. I still have yet to hear someone sing “Astonishing” well in an audition, so I would still avoid it. “Somewhere That’s Green” is fine if it truly fits your type. The others, I would probably still avoid. This year I heard a lot of “Screw Loose,”“Dying ain’t so bad,” “How 'bout a dance,” “Pulled,” and “Fly, Fly Away (Catch me if you can)” and a lot of Carrie and Heathers, so unfortunately you may want to add those to the list.
~VT
Message me if you need help finding places to look for songs! I have a whole blog article on it. Check out @VoiceTeacher’s blog as well! It helped me a ton. 
My S had 6 or 7 in his book at each audition in case he got asked to do sonething different. You never know - at his first professional audition, the casting agent had him perform has entire rep. In his college audition book, he had one song from a fairly obscure 1965 musical he used for his prescreens and for most of his auditions. At his Ithaca audition, the young man in the room just before him performed the same song (different cut). He said he entered the room a little flustered, cracked a joke about the musical enjoying a brief revival and carried on!
I agree 100% with @VoiceTeacher .
This year I heard SO many girls do the Addams Family tunes (Pulled and Crazier than You). Joy Dewing said recently that she loves Pulled AND Breathe from ITH - which are both overdone, but hates “Screw Loose” - which is also overdone but a terrible song.
The problem with “Vanilla Ice Cream” is that it is a terrible difficult song and it isn’t that impressive that you can hit the money note - unless you hit it flawlessly.
Someone mentioned “waiting for life” - I think singing songs that match your type is important, so don’t sing that song unless you are a young black/hispanic actress.
Someone else mentioned JRB. The reason you don’t sing that is because the piano part is incredibly difficult. The songs are great, but you want as much control as possible in your audition - and if you pick a difficult song on piano, then you are putting yourself at a disadvantage.
In the end, do the song that works best for you, and it is easy to say “Well, I broke the rules with great success” but that is the exception and not the rule.
Never mind
I agree that people can find examples of people broke the rules and still found “success” - but I wonder how many examples there are that we don’t know about, meaning people used overdone songs and weren’t particularly successful at their audition. I know one person “broke the rules” recently regarding both composer and songs with an accent. Of course one will never know for sure- but I can easily imagine that turning schools off (and they didn’t have a super successful season)
I agree with so many comments here. But I do disagree with just one minor one…I think you don’t have to be African American or Hispanic to sing Waiting for Life to Begin. I think it is sung at many college auditions (probably pretty often in fact which is a bigger issue than one’s race I think with this song). My own daughter has played both TiMoune and Young TiMoune and she is White. This show, Once on This Island (a musical I love) even stipulates in the script that it doesn’t have to be performed by certain races but can be depicted using different social classes. I’ve seen it done many ways. I think Waiting for Life to Begin is, in itself, an age appropriate song and I don’t think race is crucial in singing this song in an audition. I do think it is a pretty common audition song, though.
Is it OK to have (non-pop) Off-Broadway songs in your book? S has found a couple of gems, but I didn’t know if it would hurt him being not quite b-way. Several of the songs he has found are on you~tube performed by BFAs in their recitals/showcases, so the songs must have some merit.
Most schools’ song requirement usually says something like “from traditional Musical Theatre repertoire”. They don’t have to be from a show that was on Broadway and I would think your son’s songs are fine.
Agreed…musical theater songs don’t have to just be from musicals that were on Broadway.
If they are being performed by BFA students and the musical has been produced, they’re fine. One of the songs in my book is from a movie but is in a traditional musical theatre style. It’s a lot harder to find a song that’s too obscure, I think. Usually you get in trouble with the super contemporary songs that aren’t really from musicals—save those for cabarets!
Off-Broadway songs are fine. There is a lot of good material out there that just wasn’t commercial enough to be a big Broadway hit.
~VT
Oh thank you for telling me that! I have only seen the show once and I did not know that the character was supposed to be black or hispanic!
@BeccaW444 - have you looked into 110 in the Shade?
@soozievt - I know we seemingly disagree on everything, but the idea that any show written specifically about race can be done with a white actor vanishes after high school/amateur productions. The notes in the OOTI script were put there so that they could market it. Ask yourself the question “If they were to mount this show professionally, would an actor of my race EVER play it?” That is a good starting point.
As I have said over and over, knowing your type is incredibly important. There are coaches in NYC who can guide you in finding your type if you can’t figure it out.
Also - Off-Bway stuff is great. As is a lot of unproduced musical theatre stuff.
I saw a college production of Once On This Island and the majority of the actors were not cast by race. In fact, in that production, my D was Little TiMoune. I totally understand “type!” And there are certain musicals where race really can’t be altered such as Ragtime or Showboat. Race is integral to the story. But still, I think since OOTI is sometimes staged with a predominantly white cast and the production notes allow for it, and college auditions are high school aged kids, I think Waiting for Life to Begin is OK for a teen to sing for an audition. Just my opinion.
By the way, I have also seen Once On This Island performed in the Caribbean and the entire cast was non-White. So, I have seen many versions of this musical.
Would “Times like this” from Lucky Stiff and “Perfect Relationship” from Bells are Ringing be alright for a ballad and an upbeat??
How important is song choice for decisions anyway?
I would consider a college production in the same category as a high school or community theater production - it’s an educational production in which casting is limited to the students at the school. IMO, Theater Hiring Co’s question is valid: would a PROFESSIONAL production cast a white girl as Ti Moune? I’d be really shocked if any professional theater would.
I think it’s a risky choice for a college audition because it might potentially seem like the auditioner isn’t familiar with the musical. JMO.
I remember on Audition Update, one casting director said he really hates seeing white girls audition with “Breathe” from In The Heights. Even though the lyrics themselves are not about race, it’s not a role a white girl would be cast as, so he finds it jarring. (Of course, that doesn’t mean that EVERY auditor feels that way, but I wouldn’t want to take the risk).