Musical Theatre Audition Songs – Choices for Mezzo Soprano

Catch Me If You Can the musical played in Broadway in 2011.

The story is the same as the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, it tells the story of con-man Frank Abagnale Jnr in the 1960s

This song is sung by Brenda, a nurse who has won Frank’s heart when he is on the run and posing as a Doctor. Frank has proposed to Brenda and told her the truth about himself and all the lies. He promises to return to her after he has escaped the FBI agent who has been trying to catch him for years.

Brenda sings this to the FBI agent telling him how she feels about Frank and how she will never reveal where he has run to.

This is a beautiful song and shows off character, storytelling, emotion and vocal range. Perfect for auditions.

“Men who you call real were really fakes who left me nothing – But this man you call a fake gave me something real”

Sooner or Later comes from the movie Dick Tracy and is one of the songs which Sondheim wrote for Madonna’s character Breathless Mahoney, a seductive and sultry singer from Club Ritz.

The song oozes sex appeal as Breathless is desperately trying to seduce Dick throughout the movie, however the double meaning of the song refers to Dick Tracy and how he ‘always gets his man’ ie: he always captures the bad guy.

Reveal your inner vamp and sexy side and play with the double entendre’s and enjoy it!

“And no one I’ve kissed, babe, ever fights me again. If you’re on my list, it’s just a question of when.”

The ‘Toy Story’ movies are complete favourites of mine and they are movies which really touch adults hearts and emotions. Perhaps the most beautiful moment of Toy Story 2 is this heartbreaking song by Randy Newman.

The song is sung by Jessie the Cow Girl toy who sings about how she was once loved but is eventually forgotten by her owner Emily.

Although the song is sung by a Toy about her owner growing old and losing interest in her and eventually throwing her out as rubbish, the emotions in the song are completely human and ring true about any relationship breaking down and ending.

If you sing the song with complete honesty and really try and connect with those feelings of loss and lonliness you will really connect with the hearts of any audition panel.

“So the years went by
I stayed the same
But she began to drift away
I was left alone
Still I waited for the day
When she’d say I will always love you”

Songs For A New World has no story so if you choose a song from this to audition with, you need to do your homework. Build a story and a character around the song show them you can act and create.

A recurring theme in Songs For A New World is parents. Mothers are portrayed as nurturing and fathers destructive, with a few exceptions. This song is one of the exceptions. This is a song about a woman abandoning her children and husband, the kids must be young because one of them is afraid of the dark. You need to know why she is leaving, is it best for them or for her. Play with performing it in different emotional states, don’t go for the obvious, see how this changes the song, see how this changes the performance. The beauty of a song like this is that you can build your character and see what works best for you.

Dessa Rose is set in 1847 and tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an abandoned southern belle, Ruth, and a rebellious slave girl, Dessa Rose, who is escaping the repressive Deep South. The story deals with their pride and perseverance as together they try to fight slavery.

Dessa Rose a young, pregnent slave has attacked her master for murdering the father of her child she has been sentenced to be hung once her child is born and sold as property. She escapes her capture and has made her way to an isolated farm owned by Ruth who is hiding escaped slaves.

Dessa gives birth to a daughter and sings this song to the baby telling her their family history and promising to give her a name when they finally flee the South.

A beautiful song.

The Last Five Years is one of my favourite musicals. It is beautiful, intelligent and simple.

The story explores a five-year relationship between Jamie and Cathy. The show uses a form of storytelling in which Cathy’s story is told in reverse order (beginning the show at the end of the marriage), and Jamie’s is told in order (starting just after the couple have first met). The characters do not directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their timelines intersect.

This song is the opening number of the show and is Cathy lamenting the end of the marriage. I will say it again but I truly believe this song needs no tricks and no big show off belty moments, play it for its simplicity and for the emotion. Also take note of the opening words “Jamie is over and Jamie has gone”, she knows it is over, there is no fight left just a sad realisation of life’s finality.

A Summer in Ohio is one of those songs which will make the audience smile

This song gives you loads of room to show off your personality and comedic skills. Cathy is writing a letter to Jamie, she has an acting job in Ohio and is telling him of the disappointing life and the eccentric colleagues she has there. A joy for anyone who has worked in small town rep!

During the first act of Into The Woods each of the fairytale characters learns their lesson and sings a song to show the moral of their story.

The first of these is Red Riding Hood who sings ‘I Know Things Now’ to explain her story and what she has learnt from her experiences with Granny and the Wolf!

A perfect little story song, completely self contained with a beginning, middle and end.

“I had been so careful, I never had cared. And he made me feel excited- Well, excited and scared.”

The Baker’s Wife is a Stephen Schwartz musical which has never had a succesful West End or Broadway run, yet remains hugely popular amongst musical theatre afficianados.

The story revolves around a small Parisian town which is enamoured by bread produced by the newly arrived middle aged baker and his beautiful young wife. The wife has an affiar with a handsome gigolo and the baker loses his will to bake.

Genevieve, the baker’s wife, has run off with her handsome young lover, she is disenchanted however. They are passionate but that is all, as he sleeps she sings and asks “Where Is The Warmth?”. She gathers her belongings and leaves him.

The Baker’s Wife is famous for the song Meadowlark, which is an audition standard. Where is the Warmth is a beautiful and tender song, less ‘showey’ than Meadowlark and I personally think more suited to an audition room as it has intimacy and will show off your acting skills.

A song which is full of deep emotion.

The song is sung by a young girl who has discovered she is pregnant, from the lyrics I would imagine she is alone in the world. This girl finds grace in her situation, she feels worth for the first time in her life. She is bringing another person into this world, a person who perhaps can make a difference like she could not.

I would recommend this song is sung with innocence and honesty, no edges no tricks, just sung simply. I also suggest that this could be sung to the unborn child and that way you might tap into the correct emotion.