When choosing a song for a musical theater audition there are obviously Do’s and Dont’s.
The Do’s..
pick a song that fits your vocal range – Vocal range classification
pick a song that is appropriate and in the style of the production you are auditioning for
pick a song you have practiced and have been trained to do perfectly
pick a song from the list of audition songs for your musical theater audition
pick a song you LOVE singing
From Amy Sundberg (amysundberg.com), a list of songs that may have been over done:
Overdone Audition Songs
1. Adelaide’s Lament from Guys and Dolls
2. All That Jazz from Chicago
3. Any “Signature Song” (song that one performer is very strongly identified with)
4. Any song from the show for which you are auditioning, unless specified on the audition notice
5. Big Spender from Sweet Charity
6. Broadway Baby, from Follies
7. Can’t Help Lovin’Dat Man from Show Boat
8. Castle on a Cloud from Les Miserables
9. Climbing Up Hill Last Five Years
10. Corner of the Sky from Pippin
11. Defying Gravity, from Wicked
12. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Evita
13. Embraceable You
14. Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray
15. Hard Hearted Hannah, Follies
16. He Plays the Violin, 1776
17. Hero from Footloose
18. Hit Me With a Hot Note from Follies
19. I Can’t Say No from Oklahoma!
20. I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady
21. I Don’t Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar
22. I Enjoy Being A Girl from Flower Drum Song
23. I Get a Kick Out of You, Cole Porter
24. I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate
25. I Know Things Now from Into the Woods
26. I’m not that Girl from Wicked
27. If I Loved You, Carousel (possibly)
28. If I were a Bell, Guys and Dolls
29. Johnny One Note
30. Let’s Hear It For The Boy from Footloose
31. Little Girls from Annie
32. Lonely Room
33. Maybe, Annie
34. Memory from Cats
35. Miss Bird
36. Much More from the Fantasticks
37. Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera
38. My New Philosophy, Charlie Brown
39. New York, New York
40. Nobody Does It Like Me, Seesaw
41. Not While I’m Around, Sweeney Todd
42. Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oklahoma
43. On my Own from Les Miserables
44. Over The Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz (this song belongs to Judy Garland)
45. Past is Another Land from Aida
46. Popular from Wicked
47. Purpose, Avenue Q
48. Ribbons Down My Back, Hello Dolly
49. Seasons of Love from Rent
50. Shy from Once Upon a Mattress
51. Some Enchanted Evening, from South Pacific
52. Someone Like You, Jekyll and Hyde
53. Someone to Watch over Me
54. Somewhere That’s Green, Little Shop
55. Summertime from Porgy & Bess
56. Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Oklahoma
57. There are Worse Things I could do from Grease
58. They Call the Wind Mariah from Paint Your Wagon
59. This Nearly Was Mine, South Pacific
60. Tomorrow, Annie
61. Vanilla Ice Cream, She Loves Me
62. Wash That Man from South Pacific
63. What I Did For Love, A Chorus Line
64. Wizard and I from Wicked
65. Wouldn’t it be Loverly from My Fair Lady
66. You Can Always Count on Me from City of Angels
67. Not for the Life of Me from Thoroughly Modern Millie
68. Cockeyed Optimist, from South Pacific
The Dont’s…
Never pick a song you have just learned
Never pick a song outside of your Vocal range
Do not pick a song you do not like performing or are not comfortable with
Do not pick a song that is not in style with the part you are auditioning for
Do not pick a song from a very popular musical that many others may do and casting directors have heard 30 times over that day