Expectations of Modern Musical Theatre Singers

As one of the exciting numbers of artists who have the dream of doing professional musical theatre, I'm sure you’ve listened to lots of cast albums, seen as many shows in New York and regionally as you can, watched DVDs and spent hours on YouTube. Watching and listening is the best way to learn and get inspired, but perhaps it has also left you a bit confused or even frustrated. You might wonder, “How could I ever sing with as much beauty as he does,” or “How could I ever belt as high as she can?” or you might wonder how some actors could have landed the role in the first place?

Have you ever wondered about the expectations in professional Musical Theatre today? If you’ve listened to cast albums from the past, you must have observed that there have been some outstanding singers as well as some singers who, let’s face it, were not great. Does that mean that anything goes and that you just have to be in the right place at the right moment? No, the vocal standards of the past were different than today. Today, the standards are exceedingly high. But do not fret. This chapter will help you identify the important skills for you to be aware of as you continue to work toward your goals. No one expects you to have all of these skills when you start out.

Forty or fifty years ago, Musical Theatre performers were usually either actors, singers, dancers or personalities. The ideal of the so-called Triple-Threat did not exist as it does today. Performers from earlier generations might have been actors who could sing (Alfred Drake, Barbara Cook, Mary Martin, Angela Lansbury) or dancers who could sing (Ray Bolger, Gwen Verdon), or they might be personalities who could sing (Ethyl Merman, Carol Channing). But in the last 20 years, the art of musical theatre has changed. In most cases, performers are expected to be singers, actors and dancers of skill. The expectations for singers today has especially risen because our lives are inundated with music and because there are so many young performers to choose from in auditions. Musical Theatre, as an art form, isn’t something that people studied until about 25 years ago.

What are the expectations are for younger artists entering the business today? I believe the first step is to know the singing actors who are working today and have worked in at least the last twenty years. Above all, be curious. Recordings and videos will be your guide. Next, you should work toward being a better singer, actor and dancer. Take voice lessons, get into an acting class, take as many dance classes as you can. Then you must get out there and do it. Take a role in a small production. Go to every audition you can. Know that failure along the way is inevitable. Let’s break down the expectations so you can know what to work for.

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The Necessary Musical Skills

Strong musicianshipIn order to be a professional, you will need a solid understanding the mechanics of music and have the ability to translate notation into a compelling performance. Of course, there have been many examples of working professionals who didn't read a bit of music. But now, with the rising costs of mounting a production and the speed at which shows are rehearsed, things are much different today. You are not expected to sight read music flawlessly, but you are expected to read music, understand all the symbols and terminology and to be able to learn music independently. If you cannot do this, it is expected that you will hire a coach to help you. There simply isn't enough time for a musical director to teach you every note. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to learn a new song, not memorized necessarily, in two days or less. If you can't, you will frustrate yourself and the folks who hire you.

Pitch accuracy and intonation Musical Theatre is live art form. In the last 20 or 30 years, the quality and accuracy of singing has risen to a very high level. Audiences, raised on television and the internet are sophisticated and demanding.

Vocal Range and StyleIn most cases, the dividing line between soprano and mezzo and between tenor and baritone which we have all grown up with are blurred in modern musical theatre practice. Don't misunderstand me. People still are sopranos, mezzos, tenors or baritones but everyone is expected to be able to sing nearly everything within reason. If you really want to be marketable, everyone will need a very strong classical technique that allows the voice to move freely with resonance and vibrancy. Work with your voice teacher to expand your range. It is also highly desirable for you to be able to sing without vibrato when called upon. You will need this skill in passages that require a more speech-like, parlando approach (as with Standards or some Golden Age verses) or in modern pop-rock influenced music. It is also highly desirable to be able to transition from a non-vibrant sound to full vibrancy as this is frequently required in mix-belt and belt songs on sustained pitches.

Sopranos should be able to sing comfortably from G3 (below middle C) to C6 or D6 (above the staff) in Bel Canto style. Bel Canto is a style of singing characterized by beauty of tone. Legato and evenness across the registers are its trademarks. Sopranos should also have a very strong mix able to carry the chest voice up moderately high with volume and minimum vibrancy but without pushing. If you are able to move over into belt, that's great but a very strong, powerful mix that can sound like belt is the bread and butter for the modern soprano. To do this, everyone needs classical voice training.

Mezzos should be able to sing comfortably from E3 (below middle C) to A6 or B6 (at the top of the staff) in Bel Canto. They should also have a very strong mix able to carry the chest voice up

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moderately high with volume and minimum vibrancy but without pushing. Belt is expected with true mezzos but avoid pushing at all costs.

Tenors should be able to sing comfortably from G2 to C5 or D5 in Bel Canto style. The challenge for tenors is singing above the staff. Work to be able to produce a variety of sounds in the upper range including a lyrical sound, a soft/tender sound (approaching falsetto without being too flute-y) and a powerful high range, sometimes called male-belt. Some reject this term. Whatever you call it, strong singing at the top of the range is frequently how tenors are evaluated.

Baritones should be able to sing comfortably from E2 to Bb5 in Bel Canto. Okay young baritones, are you sitting down? This might seem like bad news, but it doesn't have to be. Traditionally, the baritone is usually an older character types like the Antihero (Billy in Carousel, Sweeney in Sweeney Todd or Paul in Carnival, Coalhouse in Ragtime), Leading Man (Curley in OKLAHOMA! or Emile in South Pacific) or the buffo (Trevor Greydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie or Ivan in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). These roles usually go to men in their 40s or older. But there are many working younger baritones who have found a new, more youthful approach that is closer to what we generally think of from tenors. Sometimes this range is referred to as the Bari-tenor. The Bari-tenor is one of the most frequent ranges in modern theatre. It’s something baritone and tenor which combines the best qualities of each—strong singing in the lower range mixed with the ability to sing beautifully above the staff. If you are a true baritone, don't try to be a tenor but, unless you are singing one of these older roles, lighten up as you go higher.

For most modern shows, the ensemble is required to have a wide range. And dance! In recent years, ensemble singing in such shows as Wicked, In the Heights and The Book of Mormon, vocal arrangers are asking the ensemble to sing higher than in the past. Sopranos will need an easy C or D, tenors are kept above the staff much of the time and baritones are treated like second tenors.

Part SingingAll singers should to be able to sing parts and hold down their part securely. Men should be able to sing both tenor and bass depending on the needs of the ensemble and women need to be able to sing soprano and alto. Creating a balanced ensemble can be challenging for musical directors

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since casts aren't assembled with an eye toward equal forces on each part. Most of the time you won't be asked to sing outside your range in an ensemble but you will be expected to be flexible.

Rock StylesIn most cases now, singers are expected to be able to sing in Rock styles and be able to riff. You might think that you simply are gifted with the Rock sound but this is a singing style, like others, that can be learned. I would encouraged you to pick up Sherry Saunder’s book, Rock the Audition, for more information about Rock singing.

Vocal ColorsIn a later chapter, I discuss Vocal Colors in detail. Vocal colors is a term I like to use when describing the virtually infinite ways the voice can produce sound. The changes in dynamics, vibrancy, resonance, intention and host of other things create dramatically different versions of the song. In dramatic singing, vocal colors are an incredibly powerful tool in communicating meaning and subtext.

In classical singing, there is traditionally a focus on unity across registers with a similar color throughout that is fully vibrant and resonant. The better opera and art song singers are aware of the power of changing the colors for the sake of communication in such ways a varying the rate of vibrato, the brilliance, prominence of consonants and others ways. But, by and large, the Bel Canto style is to obtain beauty at all costs.

But for the musical theatre singer, character, text and story-telling are more important than pure sound. Beauty of sound is valued if the moment calls for it. More than anything, the singer must sing in a manner that is consistent with their character's truth in that moment. If the character is fearful, the voice can and should reflect that. If they are triumphant, the voice will reflect that.

Conclusion

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Musical Theatre Singers You Should KnowAs I've mentioned, you can learn a great deal by being aware of current and historical musical theatre singers. Knowing their recordings and live performances will help you gain mastery in understanding the subtle differences between styles, how to negotiate difficulties in singing, various approaches to acting in songs and a host of other things. Maintaining a collection of cast albums can be expensive but you can find ways around that like the library and internet resources.

Before I list the singers I think you should be aware of, I want to start with the ones that are legendary. These actors have had such long and significant careers on Broadway and/or in film and television, that a large percentage of the general public know them. If you don’t know them, do yourself a big favor and spend an afternoon listening to their music. These storied actors will inspire you.

I’ve listed one song that, for each performer, that I believe is essential listening. (R) indicates a revival. Make note of the actors who have won a Tony award.

Legendary Female Singers

Angela Lansbury Sweeney Todd (Tony), Mame (Tony), Anyone Can Whistle, Gypsy (Tony) (R), Dear World (Tony), A Little Night Music (R)

The Worst Pies in London (Sweeney Todd)

Audra McDonald Ragtime (Tony), Carousel (Tony), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Tony), Marie Christine, 110 in the Shade, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Tony)

Your Daddy’s Son (Ragtime)

Bernadette Peters Sunday in the Park With George, Into the Woods, The Goodbye Girl, Song and Dance (Tony), Gypsy, Follies (R), Annie Get Your Gun (Tony) (R), Mack & Mabel, A Little Night Music (R) (replacement), Dames at Sea, George M!

Everybody Loves Louis (Sunday in the Park With George)

Kristin Chenoweth Wicked, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tony) (R), Steel Pier, The Apple Tree (R), Promises, Promises (R)

Popular (Wicked)

Ethel Merman Gypsy, Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam (Tony), Panama Hattie, Du Barry Was a Lady, Anything Goes, George White’s Scandals, Girl Crazy

Rose’s Turn (Gypsy)

Idina Menzel Rent, Wicked (Tony), If/Then, See What I Wanna See, The Wild Party

Defying Gravity (Wicked)

Kelli O’Hara The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific (R), The Pajama Game (R), Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Bridges of Madison County, Far From Heaven, Sweet Smell of Success, Dracula, The Musical

The Beauty Is (The Light in the Piazza)

Liza Minnelli The Act (Tony), The Rink, Liza’s At the Palace, Flora, The Red Menace (Tony), Best Foot Forward (R)

Maybe This Time (Cabaret, film soundtrack)

Mary Martin South Pacific (Tony), The Sound of Music (Tony), Peter Pan (Tony), One Touch of Venus, I Do! I Do!, Leave It To Me!, Lute Song

A Wonderful Guy (South Pacific)

Patti LuPone Evita (Tony), Gypsy (Tony) (R), Sweeney Todd (R), Anything Goes (Tony) (R), Les Miserables (West End), The Baker’s Wife, Oliver! (R), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Candide (R), Working, Robber Bridegroom, The Beggar’s Opera

Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Evita)

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Sutton Foster Anything Goes (Tony) (R), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony), Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Shrek the Musical, Violet (R)

Gimme Gimme (Thoroughly Modern Millie)

There any number of singers that were left off of the list that I could have included. Paring down the numbers was hard and a few folks I really like are not here. I chose only those who have originated a significant role in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production.

Female Singers You Should Know

Alice Ripley Next To Normal (Tony), The Rocky Horror Show (R), Side Show, King David, The Who’s Tommy

I Miss the Mountains (Next to Normal)

Alison Fraser Gypsy (R), The Secret Garden, Romance, Romance, The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Hold On (The Secret Garden)

Amy Spanger Elf, Rock of Ages, Urinetown, The Wedding Singer, Kiss Me, Kate (R)

Right In Front of Your Eyes (The Wedding Singer)

Andrea Burns In the Heights, Songs for a New World, Saturday Night (R), It’s Only Life

I’m Not Afraid (Songs For a New World)

Andrea Martin Pippin (R) (Tony), Young Frankenstein, Fiddler on the Roof (R), Oklahoma! (R), My Favorite Year (Tony), Candide (R)

No Time At All (Pippin, revival))

Angela Christian The Woman in White, Thoroughly Modern Millie How the Other Half Lives (Thoroughly Modern Millie)

Anika Noni Rose Caroline Or Change (Tony), The Cradle Will Rock (R) I Hate the Bus (Caroline, Or Change)Annaleigh Ashford Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, Rent (R), Wicked

(replacement)The History of Wrong Guys (Kinky Boots)

Ashley Brown Mary Poppins, On the Record, Beauty and the Beast (replacement)

If I Were a Bell (Speak Low, album)

Barbara Cook She Loves Me, The Music Man (Tony), Candide, Plain and Fancy Sondheim on Sondheim, The Grass Harp

My White Knight (The Music Man)

Barbara Walsh Company (R), Big, Blood Brothers, Falsettos Stop, Time (Big)Bebe Neuwirth Chicago (R) (Tony), The Addams Family, Fosse. Damn

Yankees (R), Sweet Charity (R) (Tony)A Little Brains, A Little Talent (Damn Yankees, revival))

Beth Fowler The Boy from Oz, Bells are Ringing (R), Beauty and the Beast, Baby, A Little Night Music

Patterns (Baby)

Beth Leavel The Drowsy Chaperone (Tony), Elf, the Musical, Baby It’s You!, The Civil War

As We Stumble Along (The Drowsy Chaperone)

Betsy Wolfe The Last Five Years (R), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (R), Merrily We Roll Along (R), Everyday Rapture. Bullets Over Broadway

Climbing Uphill (The Last Five Years, revival)

Betty Buckley Elegies, Triumph of Love, Sunset Boulevard (replacement), Carrie, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Cats (Tony), Promises, Promises, 1776

He Plays the Violin (1776)

Caissie Levy Les Miserables (R), Murder Ballad, Ghost the Musical, Hair (R)

Nothing Stops Another Day (Ghost the Musical)

Capathia Jenkins Newsies, Martin Short, Fame Becomes Me, Caroline, Or Change, Godspell (R), The Civil War

That’s Rich (Newsies)

Carolee Carmello Scandalous, Parade, The Addams Family, Rags, Lestat, Elegies, A Class Act, The Scarlet Pimpernel, john and jen, Hello Again, Falsettos

You Don’t Know This Man (Parade)

Celeste Holm Oklahoma!, Bloomer Girl, The King and I (replacement) I Cain’t Say No (Oklahoma!)Celia Keenan Bolger The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Merrily We

Roll Along (R), Les Miserable (R), Summer of ’42Like It Was (Merrily We Roll Along, revival)

Charlotte d’Amboise A Chorus Line (R), Pippin (R), Sweet Charity (R), Chicago (R) (replacement), Damn Yankees (R) (replacement), Carrie

The Music and the Mirror (revival)

Chita Rivera Chicago, Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, The Rink (Tony), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (R), Nine (R), Merlin, Jerry’s Girls

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Kiss of the Spider Woman)

Christiane Noll Chaplin, Ragtime (R), Jekyll & Hyde Back to Before (Ragtime, revival)

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Christine Andreas La Cage aux Folles (R), The Scarlet Pimpernel, On Your Toes (R), Oklahoma! (R), My Fair Lady (R)

When I Look At You (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Christine Ebersole Grey Gardens (Tony), 42nd Street (Tony), Camelot (R), Oklahoma! (R)

The Revolutionary Costume For Today (Grey Gardens)

Daphne Rubin-Vega Rent, The Rocky Horror Show (R), Les Miserables (R) Out Tonight (Rent)Debbie Gravitte Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (Tony), Zorba (R), They’re

Playing Our SongMr. Monotony (Jerome Robbin’s Broadway)

Debra Monk Curtains, Steel Pier, Nick & Nora, Pump Boys and Dinettes Everybody’s Girl (Steel Pier)Dee Hoty Bye Bye Birdie (R), Footloose, The Best Little Whorehouse

Goes Public, The Will Rogers Follies, City of AngelsMy Unknown Someone (The Will Rogers Follies)

Dolores Gray 42nd Street (replacement), Destry Rides Again, Carnival in Flanders (Tony), Two on the Aisle, Seven Lively Arts

If You Hadn’t But You Did (Two on the Aisle)

Donna Lynne Champlin Sweeney Todd (R), First Lady Suite, My Life With Albertine, By Jeeves

The Contest (Sweeney Todd, revival)

Donna McKechnie Chorus Line (Tony), Company, State Fair, Annie Warbucks, Promises, Promises

Music and the Mirror (A Chorus Line)

Donna Murphy Passion (Tony), The King and I (R) (Tony), Wonderful Town (R) (Tony), Lovemusik, The People in the Picture

I Read (Passion)

Dorothy Loudon Ballroom, Annie (Tony), Sweeney Todd (replacement), Jerry’s Girls

Little Girls (Annie)

Eden Espinosa Brooklyn, Wicked (replacement), Rent (replacement) Once Upon a Time (Brooklyn)Elaine Paige Evita (West End), Cats (West End), Follies (R), Sunset

Boulevard (replacement), Anything Goes (West End)I’m Still Here (Follies, revival)

Elaine Stritch Company, Show Boat (R), A Little Night Music (R), Call Me Madam, Sail Away

The Ladies Who Lunch (Company)

Elizabeth Stanley Cry Baby, Million Dollar Quartet, Company (R) Fever (Million Dollar Quartet)Ellen Greene Little Shop of Horrors, Weird Romance Somewhere That’s Green (Little Shop of

Horrors)Emily Skinner Side Show, James Joyce’s The Dead, The Full Monty Life With Harold (The Full Monty)Erin Davie Grey Gardens, A Little Night Music (R), Curtains

(replacement), The Glorious OnesDaddy’s Girl (The World She Writes)

Erin Dilly A Christmas Story: The Musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Into the Woods (R) (replacement), Thoroughly Modern Milly (replacement)

Doll on a Music Box/Truly Scrumptious (Reprise) (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

Erin Mackey Chaplin, Anything Goes (R) (replacement), Sondheim on Sondheim

What Only Love Can See (Chaplin)

Faith Prince Guys and Dolls (R) (Tony), Nick & Nora, A Catered Affair, Bells Are Ringing (R), Little Me (R), Jerome Robbin’s Broadway, Falsettoland

It’s a Perfect Relationship (Bells Are Ringing, revival)

Florence Lacey Hello Dolly (R), Follies (R), Evita (replacement) Ribbons Down My Back (Hello Dolly, revival)

Gwen Verdon Chicago, Sweet Charity, Redhead (Tony), New Girl in Town (Tony), Damn Yankees (Tony), Can-Can (Tony)

Whatever Lola Wants (Damn Yankees)

Heather Headley Aida (Tony), The Lion King, The Bodyguard (West End) Easy As Life (Aida)Jan Maxwell Follies (R), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music

(R) Could I Leave You (Follies, revival)

Jane Krakowski Grand Hotel, Starlight Express, Nine (R) (Tony), Company (R). Once Upon a Matress (R)

I Want to Go To Hollywood (Grand Hotel)

Jenn Gambatese Tarzan, All Shook Up, Wicked (replacement) One Night With You (All Shook Up)Jennifer Damiano Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Next to Normal, Spring

AwakeningIf The World Should End (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark)

Jessica Molaskey Parade, Sunday in the Park with George (R), Chess Sweet Dreams (It’s Only Life)Jessie Mueller Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Mystery of Edwin

Drood (R), Nice Work If You Can Get It, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (R)

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical)

Jill Paice The Woman in White, Curtains, Death Takes a Holiday, Matilda: The Musical (replacement)

How Will I Know? (Death Takes a Holiday)

Joanna Gleason Into the Woods (Tony), Nick & Nora, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, I Love My Wife

Moments in the Woods (Into the Woods)

Judith Blazer Titanic, LoveMusik, Bernarda Alba, Hello Again, Company (R), Lucky Stiff

The Mistress Of The Senator (Hello Again)

Judy Kaye Nice Work If You Can Get It (Tony), On the Twentieth Century, The Phantom of the Opera (Tony), Ragtime, Mamma Mia!

Looking For a Boy (Nice Work If You Can Get It)

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Judy Kuhn Chess, Rags, Les Miserables, She Loves Me (R), Passion (R), The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Nobody’s Side (Chess)

Julia Murney The Wild Party, Lennon, Queen of the Mist, Wicked (replacement)

Maybe I Like It This Way (The Wild Party)

Karen Akers Grand Hotel, Nine Be On Your Own (Nine)Karen Olivo West Side Story (R) (Tony), In the Heights, Brooklyn,

Murder Ballad, Rent (replacement)It Won’t Be Long Now (In The Heights)

Karen Ziemba Steel Pier, Contact (Tony), Never Gonna Dance, Curtains, 42nd Street (replacement)

Thinking of Him (Curtains)

Kate Baldwin Finian’s Rainbow (R), Big Fish, Giant, Wonderful Town (R) (replacement)

I Don’t Need a Roof (Big Fish)

Kate Shindle Wonderland, Legally Blonde, Cabaret (R) (replacement) Legally Blonde Remix (Legally Blonde)Kecia Lewis-Evans Once on This Island, The Drowsy Chaperone, Leap of Faith,

Dessa RoseMama Will Provide (Once On This Island)

Kerry Butler Xanadu, Rock of Ages, Catch Me If You Can, Hairspray, Prodigal, Little Shop of Horrors (R),

Fly, Fly Away (Catch Me If You Can)

Krysta Rodriguez First Date, The Addams Family, First Date, Spring Awakening

Safer (First Date)

LaChanze The Color Purple (Tony), Once on This Island, If/Then, Dessa Rose, The Bubby Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin

I’m Here (The Color Purple)

Laura Bell Bundy Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Wicked (replacement), Ruthless! So Much Better (Legally Blonde)Laura Benanti Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Tony),

Gypsy (Tony), The Wedding Singer, Nine (R), Into the Woods (R), Swing!, The Sound of Music (R) (replacement)

Model Behavior (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown)

Laura Osnes Cinderella (Tony), Bonnie & Clyde, Anything Goes (R), Grease (R), South Pacific (R) (replacement)

Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad (Bonnie & Clyde)

Lauren Bacall Woman of the Year (Tony), Applause (Tony) Welcome To the Theatre (Applause)Lauren Kennedy Vanities, Monty Python’s Spamalot (replacement), Sunset

Boulevard (replacement), DisasterFly Into The Future (Vanities)

Lauren Ward Matilda: The Musical, 1776 (R), Follies (R), Violet, Saturday Night

Pathetic (Matilda: The Musical)

Lea Salonga Miss Saigon (Tony), Flower Drum Song (R), Les Miserables (replacement)

I’d Give My Life For You (Miss Saigon)

Leslie Kritzer Sondheim on Sondheim, A Catered Affair, Rooms: A Rock Musical, Legally Blonde, Elf, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Godspell (R)

One White Dress (A Catered Affair)

Lillias White Fela!, The Life (Tony), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (R), Dreamgirls (R),

The Oldest Profession (The Life)

Linda Balgord The Pirate Queen, Death Takes a Holiday, La Cage aux Folles (R), Passion,

The Role Of The Queen (The Pirate Queen)

Lindsay Mendez Godspell (R), Everyday Rapture, Dogfight, Grease (R), Wicked (replacement)

Pretty Funny (Dogfight)

Lisa Howard The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, South Pacific (R), 9 to 5, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (replacement)

Infinite Joy (Songs of Innocence & Experience, album)

Liz Callaway Baby, Miss Saigon, The Look of Love, Brownstone, The Spitfire Grill, Merrily We Roll Along

The Story Goes On (Baby)

Madeline Kahn Two by Two, On the Twentieth Century Never (On The Twentieth Century)Mandy Gonzalez In the Heights, Lennon, Wicked (replacement), Dance of the

VampiresBreathe (In The Heights)

Mara Davi Death Takes a Holiday, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (R), A Chorus Line (R), The Drowsy Chaperone (replacement), Toxic Avenger

Shimmy Like They Do In Paree (Death Takes a Holiday)

Maria Schaffel Jane Eyre, Titanic (replacement) Painting Her Portrait (Jane Eyre)Marin Mazzie Ragtime, Passion, Kiss Me Kate (R), Man of La Mancha (R),

Next to Normal (replacement), Bullets Over BroadwayBack to Before (Ragtime)

Mary Beth Peil King and I (R), Follies (R), Sunday in the Park with George (R), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Ah, Paris! (Follies, revival)

Mary Louise Wilson Grey Gardens (Tony), Cabaret (R), Gypsy (R), Flora, the Red Menace

What Would You Do? (Cabaret, revival)

Mary Testa Guys and Dolls (R), Xanadu, 42nd Street (R), Marie Christine, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (R), Queen of the Mist, See What I Wanna See, A New Brain

Change (A New Brain)

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Megan Hilty 9 to 5, Wicked (replacement) Let’s Be Bad (The Music of Smash, album)

Megan McGinnis Little Women, Thoroughly Modern Millie (replacement), Les Miserables (R)

Some Things Are Meant To Be (Little Women)

Megan Mullally Young Frankenstein, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (R), Grease (R)

Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm (How To Succeed In Business)

Melissa Errico Amour, Dracula, The Musical, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Passion (R), High Society, My Fair Lady (R), Anna Karenina

Dusoleil in Jail (Amour)

Michele Pawk Seussical, Reefer Madness, Bounce, Cabaret (R), Triumph of Love, Hello Again, Crazy For You

Amayzing Mayzie (Seussical)

Montego Glover Memphis, The Color Purple (replacement) Colored Women (Memphis)Nancy Opel Urinetown, Fiddler on the Roof (R), Triumph of Love, Toxic

Avenger, Evita (replacement), PersonalsIt’s a Privilege to Pee (Urinetown)

Nancy Walker On the Town, Best Foot Forward, Do Re Mi I Can Cook Too (On The Town)Natascia Diaz The Capeman, Seussical, Man of La Mancha (R), Jacques

Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (R)My Death (Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris)

Nikki M. James The Book of Mormon (Tony), Les Miserables (R), All Shook Up

Sal Tlay Ka Siti (The Book of Mormon)

Orfeh Saturday Night Fever, Legally Blonde, Footloose (replacement)

Ireland (Legally Blonde)

Pam Myers Company, Into the Woods (R), Snoopy Another Hundred People (Company)Patina Miller Pippin (R) (Tony), Sister Act Sister Act (Sister Act)Priscilla Lopez A Chorus Line, Nine, In the Heights, A Day in Hollywood/A

Night in the Ukraine (Tony)What I Did For Love (A Chorus Line)

Rachel York City of Angels, Victor/Victoria, The Scarlet Pimpernel (replacement), Dessa Rose, Summer of ’42,

Lost & Found (City of Angels)

Randy Graff City of Angels (Tony), High Society, A Class Act, Fiddler on the Roof (R),

You Can Always Count On Me (City of Angels)

Rebecca Luker The Secret Garden, Show Boat (R), The Sound of Music (R), The Music Man (R), Nine (R), Mary Poppins

I Have Confidence (The Sound Of Music, revival)

Sally Mayes She Loves Me (R), Urban Cowboy, Das Barbecu, Closer Than Ever

A Trip To The Library (She Loves Me)

Sally Murphy Carousel (R), The Wild Party, Fiddler on the Roof (R), Bernarda Alba, A Man of No Importance

What’s The Use Of Wond’rin’ (Carousel, revival)

Sara Ramirez Spamalot (Tony), A Class Act, The Capeman Diva’s Lament (Whatever Happened To My Part) (Spamalot)

Sarah Brightman The Phantom of the Opera Think of Me (The Phantom of the Opera)Sarah Uriarte Berry Taboo, The Light in the Piazza, Next to Normal

(replacement)The Joy You Feel (The Light In The Piazza)

Sherie Rene Scott Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Everyday Rapture, The Little Mermaid, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida, The Who’s Tommy, The Last Five Years, Debbie Does Dallas

Lovesick (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown)

Shoshana Bean Wicked (replacement), Hairspray, Godspell (R) Bless The Lord (Godspell, revival)Sierra Boggess The Little Mermaid, The Phantom of the Opera

(replacement), Love Never DiesPart of Your World (The Little Mermaid)

Stephanie D’Abruzzo Avenue Q, I Love You Because There’s a Fine, Fine Line (Avenue Q)Stephanie J. Block The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Boy from Oz, The Pirate

Queen, 9 to 5, Anything Goes (R) (replacement)The Writing On the Wall (The Mystery Of Edwin Drood, revival)

Susan Egan Beauty and the Beast, Triumph of Love, Cabaret (R) (replacement),

Anything (Triumph of Love)

Terri White Follies (R), Finian’s Rainbow (R), Barnum Necessity (Finian’s Rainbow, revival)Theresa McCarthy Titanic, Queen of the Mist I Remember (The Frogs - Evening

Primrose (2001 Studio Cast album)Tonya Pinkins Caroline, or Change, The Wild Party, Jelly’s Last Jam

(Tony), Merrily We Roll AlongLot’s Wife (Caroline, Or Change)

Vanessa Williams Sondheim on Sondheim, Into the Woods (R), Kiss of the Spider Woman (replacement)

Last Midnight (Into The Woods, revival)

Victoria Clark The Light in the Piazza (Tony), Cinderella, Sister Act, Titanic, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (R), Guys and Dolls (R)

Dividing Day (The Light In the Piazza)

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Male Singers You Should Know

Aaron Lazar The Light in the Piazza, Les Miserables (R), A Tale of Two Cities, A Little Night Music (R)

In Praise of Women (A Little Night Music, revival)

Aaron Tveit Catch Me If You Can, Next To Normal, Wicked (replacement) I’m Alive (Next To Normal)Adam Pascal Rent, Aida, Memphis (replacement) One Song Glory (Rent)Alexander Gemignani Les Miserables (R), Sweeney Todd (R), Sunday In the Park

With George (R), Assassins (R), The People in the Picture, Road Show, Violet (R)

Ladies in Their Sensitivities (Sweeney Todd, revival)

Alfred Drake Oklahoma!, Beggar’s Holiday, Kiss Me, Kate, Kismet (Tony), Gigi

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (Oklahoma!)

Andy Karl Rocky, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (R), 9 to 5: The Musical, Legally Blonde, Altar Boyz

My Nose Ain’t Broken (Rocky)

Anthony Crivello Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony), Les Miserables, Marie Christine, Golden Boy (R), Evita (R)

Marta (Kiss of the Spider Woman)

Barrett Foa Godspell (R), Avenue Q (replacement) God Save the People (Godspell)Ben Vereen Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin (Tony), Grind, Jelly’s Last

Jam, Fosse, Wicked (replacement)Simple Joys (Pippin)

Billy Porter Kinky Boots (Tony), Grease (R), Miss Saigon (replacement), It’s Only Life

Hold Me In Your Heart (Kinky Boots)

Bobby Steggert Big Fish, Ragtime (R), 110 in the Shade, A Minister’s Wife Stranger (Big Fish)

Boyd Gaines Gypsy (R) (Tony), Contact (Tony), Company (R), She Loves Me (Tony) (R)

Tonight at Eight (She Loves Me, revival)

Brent Barrett Closer Than Ever, Silence! The Musical, Grand Hotel New Words (The Maury Yeston Songbook, recording)

Brent Carver Parade (Tony), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony), My Life With Albertine, Jesus Christ Superstar (R),

It’s Hard to Speak My Heart (Parade)

Brent Spiner Sunday In The Park With George, Big River, 1776 (R) Is Anybody There? (1776)Brian d'Arcy James Shrek, The Sweet Smell of Success, Titanic, The Apple Tree

(R), Giant, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (replacement)At the Fountain (The Sweet Smell of Success)

Brian Stokes Mitchell Ragtime, Kiss Me, Kate (R) (Tony), Man of La Mancha (R), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Coalhouse's Soliloquy (Ragtime)

Brooks Ashmanskas Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Promises, Promises (R), Bullets Over Broadway, It’s Only Life

On My Bedside Table (It’s Only Life)

Bryce Pinkham A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder, Ghost, the Musical, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson

Sibelia (A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder)

Chad Kimball Memphis, Lennon, Good Vibrations, Into the Woods (R). My Life With Albertine, Godspell (R)

Memphis Lives In Me (Memphis)

Cheyenne Jackson All Shook Up, Xanadu, Finian’s Rainbow, Altar Boyz, Roustabout (All Shook Up)Chip Zien Into The Woods, Falsettos, The Boys From Syracuse (R), A

New Brain, The People In the Picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

No More (Into the Woods)

Christian Borle Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins (replacement, Spamalot, Elegies, Prodigal, Jesus Christ Superstar (R)

When the Earth Stopped Turning (Elegies)

Christopher Fitzgerald Finian’s Rainbow (R), Young Frankenstein, Wicked, Amour When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love (Finian’s Rainbow)

Christopher Sieber Triumph of Love, Spamalot, Into the Woods (R), Shrek The Musical, The Kid

Issue in Question (Triumph of Love)

Chuck Cooper The Life (Tony), Finian’s Rainbow (R), Lennon, Caroline, Or Change

The Bus (Carolin, Or Change)

Chuck Wagner Into The Woods, Dracula, The Musical, Les Miserables (replacement)

Agony (Into the Woods)

Colm Wilkinson Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar (West End) Bring Him Home (Les Miserables)

Constantine Maroulis Rock of Ages, Jekyll & Hyde (R), The Wedding Singer (replacement)

This is the Moment (Jekyll & Hyde, revival)

Danny Burstein The Drowsy Chaperone, South Pacific (R), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Follies (R), Cabaret (R)

The Right Girl (Follies, revival)

Darius de Haas Marie Christine, The Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm, Kiss of the Spider Woman (replacement)

In Whatever Time We Have (Children of Eden)

David Hyde Pierce Spamalot, Curtains (Tony) Coffee Shop Nights (Curtains)Dick van Dyke Bye Bye Birdie (Tony), The Music Man (R) Put on a Happy Face (Bye Bye

Birdie)

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Douglas Sills The Scarlet Pimpernel, Little Shop of Horrors (R) Into the Fire (The Scarlet Pimpernel)Eddie Korbich The Little Mermaid, The Drowsy Chaperone, Carousel (R),

Sweeney Todd (R), Assassins (R), Seussical, A Christmas Story, A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder

Geraniums in the Winder (Carousel, revival)

Euan Morton Taboo, Sondheim on Sondheim Pretty Lies (Taboo)Gary Beach La Cage aux Folles (R), The Producers (Tony), Les Miserables

(R), Beauty and the Beast, Doonesbury, Somethin’s AfootSpringtime for Hitler, Pt. II (The Producers)

Gavin Creel Thoroughly Modern Millie, La Cage aux Folles (R), Hair (R), Bounce (regional)

What Do I Need With Love? (Thoroughly Modern Millie)

George Hearn La Cage aux Folles (Tony), Sunset Boulevard (Tony), Putting It Together, Wicked (replacement), Scandalous, Meet Me in St. Louis

I Am What I Am (La Cage aux Folles)

Gregg Edelman City of Angels, Anna Karenina, Passion, 1776 (R), Into the Woods (R), Wonderful Town (R), A Tale of Two Cities, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Cabaret (R)

A Quiet Girl (Wonderful Town, revival)

Gregory Hines Jelly’s Last Jam (Tony), Sophisticated Ladies, Eubie!, The Girl in the Pink Tights

In My Day (Jelly’s Last Jam)

Gregory Jbara Billy Elliot: The Musical (Tony), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Victor/Victoria, Damn Yankees (R)

Deep Into the Ground (Billy Elliot: The Musical)

Harry Connick The Pajama Game (R), On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (R)

Hey There (The Pajama Game, revival)

Hinton Battle The Tap Dance Kid (Tony), Miss Saigon (Tony), Sophisticated Ladies (Tony), The Wiz, Dreamgirls (replacement)

Bui Doi (Miss Saigon)

Howard Keel Carousel (R), Saratoga, Ambassador, Oklahoma! (replacement)

(replacement),

Where is the Life That Late I Led?(Kiss Me Kate, film soundtrack)

Howard McGillin She Loves Me (R), Anything Goes (R), The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Ilona (She Loves Me, revival)

Hugh Jackman The Boy From Oz (Tony), Oklahoma (West End) The Lives Of Me (The Boy From Oz)

Hugh Panaro Lestat, Side Show, Show Boat (R) (replacement), The Red Shoes

Sail Me Away (Lestat)

Hunter Foster Urinetown, Million Dollar Quartet, Little Shop of Horrors (R), Hands on a Hardbody, Happiness, The Bridges of Madison County, Frankenstein, a New Musical

Run, Freedom, Run (Urinetown)

James Barbour Jane Eyre, Assassins (R), A Tale of Two Cities, Cyrano—The Musical

As Good As You (Jane Eyre)

James Naughton Chicago (Tony) (R), City of Angels (Tony), I Love My WifeJarrod Emick Damn Yankees (Tony) (R), The Rocky Horror Show (R), The

Boy From Oz, Ring of FireI Honesty Love You (The Boy From Oz)

Jason Danieley The Full Monty, Curtains, Next to Normal (replacement), Candide (R)

I Miss the Music (Curtains)

Jason Graae A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum (R), Lucky Stiff, Falsettos (replacement), Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?

No, Mary Ann (Unsung Sondheim, album)

Jeff McCarthy The Pirate Queen, Urinetown, Side Show, Smile, Beauty and the Beast (replacement), Anna Karenina

Only At Night (Anna Karenina)

Jeremy Jordan Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde, West Side Story (R) (replacement) Santa Fe (Newsies)

Jerry Orbach Chicago, Promises, Promises (Tony), 42nd Street, The Fantasticks, Guys and Dolls (R), Carnival

Half As Big As Life (Promises, Promises)

Joel Grey Cabaret (Tony), Chicago (Tony) (R), George M!, Wicked, Goodtime Charley, The Grand Tour, Anything Goes (R)

Mister Cellophane (Chicago)

John Cameron Mitchel Big River, The Secret Garden, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hello Again

Winter’s On the Wing (Big River)

John Cullum Shenandoah (Tony), On the Twentieth Century (Tony), Urinetown, 110 in the Shade (R), Scottsboro Boys, 1776 (replacement)

Molasses To Rum (1776, film soundtrack)

John Gallagher Jr. Spring Awakening (Tony), American Idiot Don’t Do Sadness (Spring Awakening)

John Lithgow Sweet Smell of Success (Tony), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Love Sneaks In (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

John Raitt Carousel, The Pajama Game, A Joyful Noise, Carnival in Flanders

Soliloquy (Carousel)

John Rubenstein Pippin, Ragtime (replacement), Wicked (replacement) Corner of the Sky (Pippin)Keith Byron Kirk The Civil War, King David, Elegies, A New Brain These Two (This Ordinary

Thursday: The Songs of Georgia Stitt, album)

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Ken Page Cats, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Guys and Dolls (R) My City (Page by Page, album)Kevin Chamberlin The Addams Family, Seussical, Triumph of Love, Chicago (R)

(replacement)The Moon and Me (The Addams Family)

Kevin Earley A Tale of Two Cities, Death Takes a Holiday, Les Miserables (replacement)

I Thought That I Could Live (Death Takes a Holiday)

Kevin Kline On the Twentieth Century (Tony), The Pirates of Penzance (Tony), The Beggar’s Opera

Oh, Better Far to Live and Die (The Pirates of Penzance)

Larry Kert West Side Story, Rags, Company (replacement) Side By Side By Sondheim, A Family Affair

Maria (West Side Story)

Lee Roy Reams Hello Dolly!, Sweet Charity, Applause, Lorelei, 42nd Street, Beauty and the Beast, An Evening With Jerry Herman

Dames (42nd Street)

Len Cariou Sweeney Todd (Tony), A Little Night Music, Applause, Dance a Little Closer

Epiphany (Sweeney Todd)

Malcolm Gets Amour, A New Brain, Hello Again, The Story of My Life, Juno (R)

And They’re Off (A New Brain)

Mandy Patinkin Evita (Tony), Sunday in the Park With George, The Secret Garden

Finishing the Hat (Sunday in the Park With George)

Marc Kudisch Bells are Ringing (R), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Assassins (R), The Wild Party, The Apple Tree, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 9 to 5, A Minister’s Wife, The Glorious Ones, See What I Wanna See, The Thing About Men

I Met a Girl (Bells are Ringing, revival)

Mark Jacoby Show Boat (R), Ragtime, Sweeney Todd (R), Elf, Sweet Charity (R), Man of La Mancha (R)

Johanna (Sweeney Todd, revival)

Matt Cavanaugh West Side Story (R), Grey Gardens, Urban Cowboy, A Catered Affair, Death Takes a Holiday

Something’s Coming (West Side Story, revival)

Matthew Broderick How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Tony) (R), The Producers, Nice Work If You Can Get It

I Believe In You (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, revival)

Matthew Morrison The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific (R), Hairspray Love To Me (The Light in the Piazza)

Michael Ball The Woman in White, Aspects of Love, Les Miserables (West End)

Empty Chairs and Empty Tables (Les Miserables)

Michael Cerveris Sweeney Todd (R), Evita (R), LoveMusik, Assassins (R) (Tony), Road Show, Titanic, Fun Home, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (replacement), The Who’s Tommy

Epiphany (Sweeney Todd. revival)

Michael Crawford The Phantom of the Opera (Tony), Dance of the Vampires Music of the Night (The Phantom of the Opera)

Michael McElroy The Wild Party, Big River (R), The Who’s Tommy, Violet Let It Sing (Violet)Michael McGrath Nice Work If You Can Get It (Tony), Memphis, Spamalot,

Little Me (R), The Goodbye Girl, My Favorite Year, Swinging on a Star

By Strauss/Sweet and Lowdown (Nice Work If You Can Get It)

Michael Rupert Legally Blonde, Falsettos, Sweet Charity (Tony) (R), Putting It Together, The Happy Time, Elegies, March of the Falsettos

Marry Me a Little (Putting It Together)

Nathan Lane The Producers (Tony), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Tony), Guys and Dolls (R), The Addams Family, The Frogs, Merlin

The King of Broadway (The Producers)

Norbert Leo Butz Wicked, Big Fish, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony), Catch Me If You Can (Tony), Thou Shalt Not, The Last Five Years

Moving Too Fast (Last Five Years)

Norm Lewis The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (R), Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, The Who’s Tommy

I Got Plenty of Nothing (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess)

Raul Esparza Company (R), Leap of Faith, Taboo, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Rocky Horror Show, Tick, Tick... Boom!

Marry Me a Little (Company, revival)

Richard Kiley Man of La Mancha (Tony), Her First Roman, Redhead (Tony), No Strings, Kismet

The Impossible Dream (Man of La Mancha)

Robert Cuccioli Jekyll & Hyde, Les Miserables (replacement), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (R), The Threepenny Opera (R), And the World Goes ‘Round

This is the Moment (Jekyll & Hyde)

Robert Goulet Camelot, The Happy Time (Tony), La Cage aux Folles (replacement)

C’est Moi (Camelot)

Robert Morse How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Tony), Sugar, So Long, 174th Street, Take Me Along

I Believe In You (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying)

Robert Preston The Music Man (Tony), Ben Franklin in Paris, I Do! I Do! (Tony), Mack & Mabel

I Won’t Send Roses (Mack & Mabel)

Robert Westenberg Into The Woods, The Secret Garden, Company (R), 1776 (R), Zorba (R), Violet

Agony (Into the Woods)

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Roger Bart You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tony), Triumph of Love, Young Frankenstein, The Frogs, The Producers

Go the Distance (Hercules, movie soundtrack)

Ron Bohmer The Woman in White, Ragtime (R), Fiddler on the Roof (R), The Scarlet Pimpernel (replacement), The Thing About Men

Free, Easy Guy (The Thing About Men)

Ron Raines Show Boat (R), Follies (R), Newsies (replacement), Annie (R) (replacement)

The Road You Didn’t Take (Follies)

Shuler Hensley Oklahoma (Tony) (R), Tarzan, Young Frankenstein, The Great American Trailer Park Musical

No Other Way (Tarzan)

Stephen Bogardus Falsettos, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, King David, High Society, James Joyce’s The Dead, Man of La Mancha (R), Falsettoland

You Got To Die Some Time (Falsettos)

Stephen Buntrock Jane Eyre, Oklahoma! (R) (replacement), Grease (R), A Little Night Music (R)

A Voice Across the Moors (Jane Eyre)

Steve Kazee Once (Tony), 110 in the Shade (R), Spamalot (replacement) Gold (Once)Steven Pasquale A Man of No Importance, The Bridges of Madison County, Far

From Heaven, The Spitfire Grill, The Wild Party, Little Fish,The Streets of Dublin (A Man of No Importance)

Terrence Mann The Addams Family, Les Miserables, Pippin, Lennon, The Rocky Horror Show, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Beauty and the Beast, Assassins, Rags, Cats, Barnum

Stars (Les Miserables)

Theodore Bikel The Sound of Music Edelweiss (The Sound of Music)Titus Burgess Guys and Dolls (R), The Little Mermaid, Jersey Boys, Good

VibrationsAll I Need (Comfortable, album)

Tom Hewitt The Rocky Horror Show (R), The Boys from Syracuse, Dracula, The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar (R)

Quiet Life (Dracula, The Musical)

Tom Wopat Catch Me If You Can, Sondheim on Sondheim, A Catered Affair, Annie Get Your Gun (R)

I Stayed (A Catered Affair)

Tony Yazbeck Gypsy (R), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, A Chorus Line (R)

All I Need is The Girl (Gypsy, revival)

Tyler Maynard The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (R), The Kid, Miracle Brothers, Altar Boyz

Epiphany (Altar Boyz)

Victor Garber Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Little Me (R), Damn Yankees (R) Johanna (Sweeney Todd)Will Chase High Fidelity, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (R), The Story of

My Life, Lennon, Nice Work If You Can Get It (replacement)Top 5 Desert Island Breakups (High Fidelity)

Will Swenson Hair (R), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical, Murder Ballad, Little Miss Sunshine, Les Miserables (R)

Hair (Hair, revival)

Zero Mostel Fiddler on the Roof (Tony), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Tony), Beggar’s Holiday

If I Were a Rich Man (Fiddler on the Roof)

Further Exploration:Who are you like? Research the performers of your gender and decide which ones you are most like. Your decision could be based on their personality type, skills or vocal type. Search for the songs they performed on stage. If you read and listen to interviews they’ve given, you might also be able to discover other songs they sang as well as songs they used in auditions.Watch as many videos of them as you can find. What can you learn by listening to them? What archetypes do they tend to play? Does that archetype suit you?

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Vocal Colors

The human voice is an astonishing instrument capable of a nearly infinite variety of sounds. Because of unique makeup of each persons anatomy, no two voices are acoustically alike. In addition to our physical makeup which would include each singer’s voice type (such as Lyric Soprano, Dramatic Soprano or Mezzo), our sound is influenced by the kinds of music we listen to, our favorite singers who we knowingly or unknowingly emulate, regionalisms and many other considerations.

In classical singing, there is traditionally a focus on unity across registers with a similar color throughout that is fully vibrant and resonant. The better opera and art song singers are aware of the power of allowing the text and the music to influence subtle or not so subtle changes to the sound for the sake of better communication. These changes may include varying the rate of vibrato, the brilliance, prominence of consonants, the ratio of head voice to chest voice and any number of others ways. But, by and large, the classical Bel Canto aesthetic is concerned with obtaining beauty and uniformity of sound above all else. I would be remiss to not point out how imperative it is to have a strong technique based in classical vocal training for without technique you will be limited in what you are able to do—especially when it comes to achieving a variety of vocal colors that you will need in order to tell the story you want to tell.

But for the musical theatre singer, character, situation and text are of supreme importance—of perhaps more importance than beauty of sound. Beautiful singing is valued, even demanded, if the moment calls for it. But there would be very little worse than singing a song like "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" or "You Can Always Count On Me" with the beauty you find in a classical art song or aria. More than anything, the singer must sing in a manner that is consistent with their character's truth in that moment. If the character is fearful, or mocking, or in love, the voice can and should reflect that. If they are triumphant, hopeful, or in the pit of despair, the voice should reflect that.

Vocal colors is a term I like to use when describing the virtually infinite ways the voice can produce sound. Imagine a simple song such as "Happy Birthday" sung by an operatic soprano, or as a young boy, or as a folk song, or as Marilyn Monroe famously sang to John F. Kennedy. The changes in dynamics, vibrancy, resonance, intention and host of other things create dramatically different versions of the song. In dramatic singing, vocal colors are an incredibly powerful tool in communicating meaning and subtext.

In my experience, it is common for singers to be handicapped if they begin to think too technically about the sounds they are making, especially in performance. Singing actors must give themselves over completely to the objective they are pursuing and not allow their brains and bodies to be divided by also thinking critically about the sounds they are making. I encourage

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you instead to think about the images and colors in the song's lyrics and music and allow those images and colors to influence the sounds you make.

When describing a singers vocal colors , some people might choose to use actual colors like bright yellow, vibrant orange or deep navy blue. Or you might use words like brilliant, dark, warm, clear, breathy, vibrant, crisp or accented. Both kinds of descriptors are perfectly valid. Use the words that are clearest and most meaningful to you.

Further Exploration:Choose a recording by a singer you greatly admire of your gender. 1. What colors do you hear?2. How easily do they change between colors or does the sound stay largely the same throughout?3. Do color choices seem to correspond to images in the lyrics? To the tessitura? Do they correspond to something else?4. Now answer the same questions for singers of the opposite gender or singers who are not your favorite.

I would like to discuss an example of excellent use of vocal color—”Gimme, Gimme”, sung by Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Follow along as you listen to the original cast album.

Lyric Vocal Color Use of Vocal Color

A simple choice, nothing more. This or that, either or.Marry well, social whirl, business man, clever girl.

Head-heavy mix, non-vibrato. Bright and clear. Soft dynamic. Yellow

This is the verse of the song and by keeping things very simple, she helps set up the conflict of the song.

Or pin my future on a green glass love.What kind of life am I dreaming of?

The color grows richer here. Here there is a bit more chest voice in the mix. Just a bit louder.

The change of color helps to differ between to two options for love Millie is weighing.

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Lyric Vocal Color Use of Vocal Color

I say: gimme, gimme...gimme gimme...gimme gimme that thing called love.I want it.gimme gimme that thing called love.I need it.

Soft like the beginning. Beige or tan. Head-heavy mix. Very pale, slightly timid vocal color. A bit more vibrato, especially on longer notes.

At the beginning of the refrain, knowing that there is an epic journey ahead, she again is very simple and soft. The addition of vibrato helps to underscore the fact that’s she’s talking about the kind of love she most desires.

Highs and lows, tears and laughter, gimme happy ever after. Gimme gimme that thing called love.

More chest in the mix. Even more warmth. Blue.

The image of the love she desires seems to have a warming effect on the voice.

Gimme gimme that thing called love.I crave it.Gimme gimmethat thing called love.I'll brave it.Think 'n thin, rich or poor time.Gimme years, and I'll want more time.Gimme gimme that thing called love.

Soft Belt. More chest voice than head. Vibrato only on sustained notes. Louder dynamic. A warmer color with the vibrato. Blue.

Growing confidence in knowing what she wants.

Gimme gimme that thing called love.I'm free now.Gimme gimme that thing called love.I see now.Fly, dove! Sing, sparrow!Gimme Cupid's famous arrow.Gimme gimme that thing called love.

Full Belt. Red. Very warm. Occasionally a slide between notes.

She now can see what it is that she wants. There is even a hint of growl on the last “gimme that thing called love.”

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Lyric Vocal Color Use of Vocal Color

I don't care if he's a nobody.In my heart, he'll be a somebody, somebody to love me!

Determination. Strength and confidence. Belt. Vibrato except for the notable straight-tone on the last word of this section over the instrumental. Deep purple.

The determination in her words are echoed in her voice.

I need it.Gimme that thing called love.I wannit!

Belt with even more vaudeville slides between pitches.

She sings against the rhythm to underscore an even greater determination that defies everything.

Here I am, St. Valentine!My bags are packed; I'm first in line!

Belt with growl Greater use of accented singing on “Her I am” to claim her position.

Aphrodite, don't forget me,Romeo and Juliet me!Fly, dove! Sing, sparrow!Gimme fat boy's famous arrow!Gimme gimme that thing called love!

She backs away dynamically for just a moment in order to make the ending stronger then crescendos to the very end.

She starts playfully to highlight the image of the Greek god, Aphrodite. Then she goes into full belt at the end. The last note is straight-tone until the penultimate chord.

Of course, we can not know what Sutton Foster was thinking about when she recorded this. We can only speculate. But we can be fairly certain that she was imagining the difference between the two types of love that are possible in her life and the world she could imagine with the one she choose. Using imagery will help you find new colors and new ways to bring life to a song.

Further Exploration:Examine the following songs for changes in vocal colors. What are the colors? How are they achieved? Speculate about why the colors are used. What do they communicate?1.Painting Her Portrait - Maria Schaffel (Jane Eyre)2.Simple Little Things - Audra McDonald (110 in the Shade)3.At the Fountain - Brian d’Arcy James (Sweet Smell of Success)

Some of the factors that influence vocal color are dynamics, resonance, nasality, diction, brightness/darkness, the amount of vibrancy and the amount of breath in the voice. As I mentioned earlier, there are some vocal attributes in very singer that are intrinsic to them based on anatomy. We can call this vocal identity, meaning those things which differentiate one singer

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from another intrinsically. But every voice is capable of a wide variety of colors. Our goal at this point is to find more colors and to explore ways we can utilize them.

Further Exploration:1. Sing a passage softly then loudly. A song like “Oklahoma” or something similar uptempo is a good choice.2. Sing a passage with no vibrancy (i. e. Straight-tone), then with minimal vibrancy then full vibrancy. Choose your favorite ballad like “Once Upon a Dream.” 3. Sing a passage at differing ages 5, 16, 25, 45, 65. A comedy song like “Broadway Baby” is a good choice. 4. Sing a passage with complete connection using the syllable, "loo." Then sing it with a "Tat" syllable. “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” a great on to use for this. Try another ballad. With this exercise we are exploring articulation or how a note is attacked and whether it is sustained or not.

In these activities, you have explored many of the different kinds of colors that are possible. Altering the dynamics will affect resonance and possibly diction and vibrancy. In order to sing loudly, the voice will usually increase the amount of vibrato. Louder singing also tends to use a greater amount of diction as we do when we really want to be understood. Singing without vibrancy can also lead singers toward adding more breath in the sound. Singing at differing ages will affect articulation, vibrancy, breath/tone ratio, nasality , and resonance. Little kids tend to sing with more nasality. We're you more nasal when you sang like a 5 year old? Did you use less nasality when you sang as a 65 year old. Older singers, in general, tend to place the voice farther back with less nasality.

The last exercise above is primarily about articulation--the ways that pitches are begun, end and the way they connect to each other. In ballads, the most common articulation is completely connected or legato. In uptempos, especially uptempos from 1910 to 1945, the articulation is often not legato or non legato. A legato articulation can communicate things like love or determination, while a non legato articulation can communicate such things as playfulness or anger.

So, how do we apply this to our work as a singer? Do we decide to make the first passage orange and the next magenta? I don't think that this is the most productive way because it can put us in our head and be distracting. Instead, I think the better way is to examine the song for images and emotions.

Let's look at “Much More”, the great ingénue song from The Fantasticks. What are the images you find? Do you see specific colors? What are the emotions in this song?Youtube: Much More The Fantasticks

I'd like to swim in a clear blue streamWhere the water is icy cold.Then go to town

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In a golden gown,And have my fortune told.Just once,Just once,Just once before I'm old.I'd like to be not evil,But a little worldly wise.To be the kind of girl designedTo be kissed upon the eyes.I'd like to dance till two o'clock,Or sometimes dance till dawn,Or if the band could stand it,Just go on and on and onJust once,Just once,Before the chance is gone!I'd like to waste a week or twoAnd never do a chore.To wear my hair unfastenedSo it billows to the floor.To do the things I've dreamed aboutBut never done before!Perhaps I'm bad, or wild, or mad,With lots of grief in store,But I want much more than keeping house!Much more, much more, much more.

In this song you have two specific opening images with associated colors. A. Clear blue stream, icy coldB. Town, golden gown, fortune teller

The first image could be sing with a sound that is brighter (suggested by ice), less vibrant (light blue), and legato (suggested by the flowing stream). The second image could be sung with a slightly darker tone (with the change of location from rural to urban and the color gold), more vibrant (suggested by royalty and worldliness). I think it too much for the singer to think about all these things technically. Instead, simply see the images and changes will naturally occur. Let's look for other clues in the lyric or music for colors.

With the lyric, "I'd like to dance till two o clock" the music makes a dramatic shift from a flowing legato to more non legato, separated sound in the accompaniment. Also notice that the character of the melody transitions from a beautifully contoured tune to this passage that is largely on a single pitch. Why is that? I can only speculate that the notion of dancing suggests a more articulated, rhyming quality while the idea in this section of the lyric is about getting out of

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of her fantasies and into the world and more into her body. The melody is lower and rhythmic. What colors are consistent with these qualities. I would suggest a much less legato articulation with increased diction which will help to make the interesting, syncopated rhythm stand out.

Further Exploration:List other songs to examine for vocal colors in the lyric.When I Meet the WizardAstonishing

Questions:Who is the character? How old are they? Education? Life experience. (Contrast Louisa and Petra). What are you wearing? Where are you? Outside is a different color than in a library. Music. What does the music communicate? “Soliloquy” from Carousel is a case study in the way music can and should effect vocal color. There a many different colors in one song. A. QuestioningB. PlayfulC. DisgustedD. LovingE. DeterminedImages What are the images in the lyric and do they suggest specific vocal timbres?

DISCUSS BELT AND MIX. I’M TALKING ABOUT THIS LAST BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE THINK OF THIS FIRST.

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Qualities of a Great Musical Theatre Performance

During my years of teaching musical theatre and coaching actors, I began to compile what I consider the crucial attributes of a great performance. Use this list while preparing a song and evaluating a performance.

Explain each of these qualities.

A great musical theatre performance has these qualities.

Musical•All pitches and rhythms are correct1

•The performer is aware of indications such as fermatas, tenutos, caesuras and dynamics•The changes in the music are motivated by the actor•There is an absence of decrescendos at the end of a long pitches, especially at the end•The last note has length and is sung without a decrescendo•The ending of the song has a button, especially in up-tempos

Vocal•Vocal colors change in response to the lyric and acting choices•The singer does not listen to themselves while singing.•The vocal energy affects the partner and, as a result, reaches the audience.•There is a clarity of diction that does not draw attention to itself•The singing style is appropriate to the song•When a spoken lyric happens during a song, the energy is greater than the sung lyric, not lesser.•When vocal licks are employed, there is a spontaneity in them and they support the lyric and moment.

Text Analysis•There is specificity in the song’s story2

•The phrasing takes the lyric’s punctuation into consideration•The performer knows their super-objective•The performer knows what the conflict of the song and their situation

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1 In special cases, sometimes rhythms may be altered if the lyrical phrasing mandates a change

2 The listener may not know all the details of your situation, but they will understand the essentials.

•The performer knows the journey of the song and is able to live the life of the song moment-to-moment•There is a beginning, middle and end•There is knowledge of the song’s original context, even if the song is sung with a newly created situation•The images in the song are clear to the audience

Physicality•There is physical energy •The energy of the performance matches the energy of the song•The physicality is that of the character, not the singer.•The physicality does not distract from the song•The arms are not disconnected from the body•There is breath in the body that supports the singing voice•The physicality is spontaneous and not choreographed• The action and physicality of the character is present and specific even if there is no singing•The physicality has variety•The moment before launches the song•The physicality does not distract or draw attention away from the face•There is a lack of tension, especially in the eyebrow, forehead, and hands

Performance•The breaths that are the breaths of the character, not the singer•There is specificity in focus that is not too high, too low or too off center•There are changes in action that respond to and motivate the musical changes•Avoids finding the negative but instead fights for the positive outcome•Does not play emotion•There are a variety of emotions•The action precedes the corresponding lyric, not the reverse•Has proper scale, not too big for the song or too small•Has stakes that are appropriate for the song and situation•Energy and volume are not equated.3 •There is joy in the act of singing

Other•Clothes do not distract from the song or performance•Hair is not allowed to distract from the face and eyes

•The eyes are not closed, except in special cases

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3 Soft can be energetic and all moments do not need to be loud.

Learning Songs

The goal of this chapter is to give some helpful suggestions for preparing a song musically for performance or audition. The order of the steps you take as you begin exploring a new song is up to you but you must find a process that you are comfortable with and one that leaves no stone uncovered. There are those that advocate starting with music and those that say you must begin with the lyrics. My preference is to begin with learning the basics of the song (pitches, rhythms and form) before moving to the process outlined in the previous chapter. Then I like for singers to come back tothe music and work on things such as phrasing and exploring how the musical information in the song can inform the overall performance. I will describe learning a song from two perspectives. The first is for those who do not read music. The second is for those who understand basic music theory and have at least rudimentary skills at the piano. At whatever skill level you are currently, do your best to improve your skills and knowledge in music theory, musicianship and piano. It will benefit you greatly and make learning a new song much easier.

Learning a new song for those who do not read music

Have a pianist record your melody on to a recording device at a moderate tempo and very precisely. Then have the pianist record the accompaniment. Oftentimes sheet music is published with the melody in the piano accompaniment. If that is the case, this accompaniment will be easier to follow as you will be able to hear the melody. If this is not the case, they should record the actual accompaniment or add some melody if they have that skill. Listen for a sense of style, beat, rhythm and tempo. You may want the pianist to record just the introduction to the song in addition so you can isolate the music you will hear before you sing.

1. On your own while looking at the sheet music, sing to the recording of the melody on a neutral syllable such as “lah” or “dee.” Choose an open vowel with a preceding consonant. We do this to separate music from lyrics and to concentrate solely on the melody. It is very easy to move too quickly and miss a step along the way.

2. When you have mastered this, begin singing the lyrics with the melody-only recording.3. Now move to the recording of full accompaniment. Sing with this recording on a neutral

syllable. 4. Then sing the lyrics with the full accompaniment.

Additional activities with a pianist may include the following once you have done these steps:1. Sing a word or syllable and have the pianist play the pitch on the piano after you sing it.

Move to the next word or syllable, gradually increasing tempo. We do this to check pitch accuracy.

2. Explore singing the song at different tempos. Faster for ballads, slower for up tempo songs. Don’t go too fast or slow. We do this to make sure you musicianship is secure.

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Learning a song for those with moderate to advanced musical skills

When beginning a new song, I suggest starting with rhythm. Study the song in small chunks before doing the whole song. If anything is confusing for you, take the time to figure it out before moving on. You must be able to speak the rhythm in tempo. Many people find it helpful to study rhythms by assigning numbers corresponding to their placement in the bar such as 1, 2, 3, 4 in 4/4 time. Eighth-notes are subdivided by placing an “and” between each number. 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Sixteenth-notes are further subdivided in this manner: 1 e & a, 2 e & a, and so forth.

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1. Speak the words in rhythm.2. Write either numbers or Solfège syllables above the pitches. See below for using Solfège.

Sing the pitches slower, out of tempo until you can do this easily. 3. Next, combine melody with rhythm, starting slowly for accuracy and building in tempo.

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4. Record or have a pianist record the accompaniment. Listen for a sense of style, beat, rhythm and tempo. Study, or better yet, play the introduction of the song so that you know what you will hear before you sing.

5. Sing the song with accompaniment on a neutral syllable.6. Sing the song with accompaniment using the lyrics.

Singing with Solfège or numbers

Space does not allow for a full investigation of Solfège but this system is not difficult. Essentially, every pitch of a scale has a Solfège syllable or number. I’m sure you know “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music which uses this system in a clever and memorable way. Use either Solfège or numbers, depending on which seems easier to you.

Example 1 shows how the system works in different keys. Be sure to identify the correct key before numbering your music by examining the flats and sharps in the key signature. The chart will assist you.

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Example 2 offers some warm up exercises. Do these exercises slowly until you feel comfortable and can find the pitches easily. Check your accuracy at the keyboard.

Finally, example 3 is a song with Solfège and numbers. I hope the familiarity of the song might aid you in mastering this skill.

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You will notice that some of the pitches in this example have an accidental before it. The pitch and the syllable, but not the number change due to the accidental. I don’t think it too important to know these new syllables but if you’re interested, here is the full system

Scale degree Name Pitch in C major Pitch in Eb major Pitch in A major1 Do C Eb A

Raised 1 Di C# E A#Lowered 2 Ra Db Fb Bb

2 Re D F BRaised 2 Ri D# F# B#

Lowered 3 Me Eb Gb C3 Mi E G C#4 Fa F Ab D

Raised 4 Fi F# A D#Lowered 5 Se Gb B-double flat Eb

5 So G Bb ERaised 5 Si G# B E#

Lowered 6 Le Ab Cb F6 La A C F#

Raised 6 Li A# C# F-double sharpLowered 7 Te Bb Db G

7 Ti B D G#

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Scale degree Name Pitch in C major Pitch in Eb major Pitch in A major8 Do B Eb A

To practice these skills, choose songs that you know well and write the syllables above. This will help you connect the sound of the syllable to its name.

Further Exploration1. Choose a song and sit with the sheet music at the piano. Sing a word or syllable and play the

pitch on the piano after you sing it. Move to the next word or syllable gradually increasing tempo. We do this to check pitch accuracy.

2. Explore singing the song at different tempos. Faster for ballads, slower for up tempo songs. Don’t go too fast or too slow. We do this to make sure you musicianship is secure.

3. If the sheet music has chord symbols that you can interpret, accompany yourself with simple chords.

More Solfege exploration:List some songs that are challenging to work on with solfege. “On the Steps of the Palace” is a good choice. Others “Anyone Can Whistle”

Too often, singers do not take adequate time in learning a song accurately. It is crucial to your success that you do this. Directors and music directors have little patience with someone who should be ready to sing a song but is singing a passage with wrong notes. You will be working with professional musicians and you are expected to interact with them as colleagues and as the professional musician you need to be.

Once you have successfully completed these activities, you will have the skill to tackle the challenges you will face once you begin your acting work.

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Musical Terms To Know

Sheet music is populated with many different kinds of indications that the composer or editor has placed in the music to communicate how the song should go. In time, you will learn and memorize these terms, but for now, refer to this section anytime you see something in the music you don’t understand.

TempiLargo Very slow (quarter note c. 40-60)Larghetto Less slow than Largo (c. 60-70)Adagio Slow (between Largo and Andante)Andante a walking tempo (c. 76-108)Moderato Moderate tempoAllegretto Moderately fast, often playful in nature Allegro Fast (c. 110-130)Presto Very fast (c. 125-160)Maestoso Majestic, usually medium slow

Tempo-related termsLunga Long, generally referring to a long pauseCaesura (//) Indicates a break or stop before proceedingL’istesso tempo The same tempo as beforeRitardando Getting slower (rit.) Ritenuto (riten.) Getting slower but more sudden and extreme than rit.Rallentando (rall.) Gradual slowing of the tempoAccelerando (accel.) Gradually getting fasterA tempo Returning to original tempo, usually after a rit. or rall. Alla Breve Two beats per measure with the half-note getting the beat (cut-time)Più mosso More motion

Articulations Fermata Indicates a note is to be prolonged beyond its normal duration Legato Smoothly, connectedStaccato Detached (.)Accent Emphasis, usually to play louder than the current dynamic (>)Marcato marked, stressed, emphasizedSforzando Forced or accented. Stronger than an accent. (Sfz. or Sf.)Tenuto (ten.) Held or sustained, a note is given its full valueTrill Rapid alternation between the note and the note aboveG.P. Grand pause. A complete stopArpeggio The playing of successive members of a chord separately

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FormDa Capo Indication to return to the beginning (D.C.). D.C al Coda means go back to the beginning and then at the indication (to Coda), skip to the Coda.D.S. al Coda Dal Segno al Coda. Indication to return to the sign and then to Coda at the indication (to Coda).Coda The ending of a piece indicated by the symbol below. Verse The first part of a Standard song, setting up the dramatic situationRefrain The main body of a Standard song, almost always carrying the titleVamp A repeated accompanimental phrase

Symbols

U Fermata

% Segno. Sign, or structural signpost used to indicate form. See

fi Coda

StyleCon moto With motionA piacere Literally, as you please, similar to ad lib. but referring to tempo rather than pitchAd libitum Left to the performer’s discretion (ad lib.), often implying improvisationRisoluto Resolute, energeticSempre AlwaysRubato Rhythmically free, literally means “robbed”Animato Lively, spirited, animatedCon brio With fire and dash, spiritedDolce SweetlyDivisi Divided, indication of divided parts, the opposite of unisonMolto Very (molto rit., becoming very slow)Parlando Indication that the singer should take on a more speech-like manner

DynamicsForte f, loudFortissimo ff, very loudMezzo forte mf,medium loudPiano p, softPianissimo pp, very softMezzo piano mp, medium softCrescendo getting louderDecrescendo getting softerDiminuendo (dim.) getting softerMorendo Dying away, getting softerA niente Dying away to nothing

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Other TermsCon With (con moto)Poco Little (poco a poco crescendo)Moto motionAssai Much, very much (Allegro Assai)Hemiola A musical gesture wherein a rhythmic figure with a duple metric pulse replaces

one with a triple metric pulse.Colla Voce Literally with the voice. Indication that the accompaniment should allow

freedom for the soloist

You may wish to purchase an inexpensive dictionary of musical terms such as The Hal Leonard Pocket Music Dictionary. New York: Hal Leonard, 1993.

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Learning to RiffLearning to embellish on a melody, frequently called riffing, can be an intimidating thing to try but it’s not as difficult as you might think. Riffing has increasingly become a skill that is needed by the musical theatre performer as more and more shows are in a pop/rock style. This chapter will help you with the basics of riffing. It is important that you begin slowly and resist the temptation to try to have a finished product too quickly.

Riffing is a style of vocal embellishment that came out of African American work songs from the early 19th century as well as early Blues and black Gospel singers in the early part of the 20th century. It was further developed by R&B and Soul singers in the 50s and 60s. Elvis Presley famously took “Hound Dog,” first recorded by “Big Mama” Thornton, an African American Rhythm and Blues singer, and made it his own. The influence of an African American singing style was then employed by Pop and Rock singers in the 60s and 70s to today.

It is crucial that the serious students listens to early great Blues singers such as Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, and Ma Rainey. Some of the great Gospel singers to listen to are Mahalia Jackson, Shirley Caesar, Bertha Houston and others. Soul singers to listen to are Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Eta James, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Fats Domino and James Brown. More recent Soul-inspired singers are Prince, Sade, Eryhah Badu, Macy Gray, India.Arie, Alicia Keys, Bettye LaVette, Maria Carey, Beyonce and Lauryn Hill.

In the late 80s and 90s, a new kind of riffing occurs in pop music characterized by very fast vocal melismas done to the extreme. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys are examples. While this kind of riffing can be exciting, it can feel dated and minimize the importance of the lyric.

Riffing should come from a need to express the text more fully. In Musical Theatre, most of the time you need to have a strong reason and need to embellish the melody. This isn’t always the case in purely pop music where riffing can sometimes be simply what is expected. The first step is to sing the melody softly, simply and accurately, without embellishments. It is only then will you know what to embellish on. Knowing what the actual melody is can sometimes be difficult because sheet music is often published today with the riffs written out. If you have learned a song by listening to a recording first, you must use your intuition and musical judgement to decide what the unadorned melody is. Try to simplify and smooth out the melody. For this chapter, we will begin with the Gospel song, “His Eye is On the Sparrow” (Fig. 1) because the melody is published and because so many singers have` found ways to make their performance unique.

As you sing, have a pianist play simple chords. Sing slowly and notice which tones are chord tones and which are non-chord tones. The non-chord tones are labeled in the given example.

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Learn the three primary types of non-chord tones as they will be useful to you as you create your version of the melody. A basic understanding of harmony and chords will be very helpful as you do this.

•Neighbor tone - a non-chord tone which steps away from a chord tone and back to a chord tone•Passing tone - a non-chord tone which steps between two chord tones•Appoggiatura - a skip from one chord tone that resolves by step to a chord tone

Fig. 1

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Once you have mastered the basic song, it is time to begin looking at some ways to change the melody. The most fundamental embellishments are found in Fig. 2.

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After you have mastered these six techniques, you can begin experimenting with free composition–a recomposition of the melody using the above techniques with additional liberties. Be careful that the new melody agrees with the harmony. Sing slowly and listen carefully. (Fig. 3)

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Notice that many of the original pitches are present at the same moments and that the shape of the melody stays largely the same.

In example 1, “eye is on the” is treated with simple neighboring tones, above and below, then “sparrow” moves downward like the original melody, but not as far. In example 2, “why should I feel” is recomposed by moving in the opposite direction. “Discouraged” is also recomposed. “Why should the shadows come” is first embellished by moving upward more quickly, and then reversing direction before moving up to C. “Come” is treated with a simple neighbor tone.

Blue Notes The flat 3rd, flat 5th (or sharp 4) and the flat 7th are pitches which give the Blues its flavor. In the key of “His Eye is On the Sparrow”, C major, the flat 3rd is E-flat, the flat 5th is F-sharp (or enharmonically G-flat) and the flat 7th is B-flat. You should always know the key you are singing in and know what the blue notes are as they are especially expressive. Theoretically, Blue Notes may be sung closer to a semitone away from their closest neighbor note. For example, the E-flats in Fig. 4 may be closer to the D neighbor tone than they would be in other situations. This alteration from standard tuning systems evokes the “pain” that is inherent in Blues.

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Figure 5 shows one possible “riff” melody created from the various techniques. Try to identify each of them. Notice that there are several places where a word or two has been added. Also notice the places where the melody stays the same but the rhythm has been changed slightly.

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Now it is your turn to create your own version of “His Eye is On the Sparrow.” Again, don’t try to go too quickly. Have a copy of Fig. 2 close by so that you can recall and incorporate each of the six techniques. Combining techniques will yield interesting and fresh results. Let your imagination and voice be free and don’t try to be too complex at first. Once you have done this, listen to the recordings of the song by Marvin Gaye, Mahalia Jackson, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and Lauryn Hill.

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After doing this work, feel free to move on to these Musical Theatre songs. For women – “Whatever Happened To My Part?” (Spamalot), “Find Your Grail” (Spamalot), “I Am Changing” (Dreamgirls), “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (Dreamgirls), “Too Beautiful For Words” (The Color Purple), “Raven” (Brooklyn: The Musical), “Once Upon a Time” (Brooklyn: The Musical), “Small Town Girl” (Debbie Does Dallas), “Feels Like Home” (Randy Newman’s Faust), “I Got Love” (Purlie), “I'm Just Movin'” (Working) “Take Me Or Leave Me” (Rent) and “I’m Not Alone” (Carrie). For men – “All Good Gifts” (Godspell), “Go the Distance” (Hercules), “Beethoven Day” (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown Revival), “Let Me Drown” (Wild Party), “Heaven on their Minds” (Jesus Christ Superstar), “Boy with Dreams” (Edges), “Lost in the Wilderness” (Children of Eden), “Memphis Lives in Me” (Memphis) and “Someone Else’s Life” (Tales From the Bad Years).

Some pop songs that are especially good to explore riffing are Hero (Maria Carey), (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin), If I Were a Boy (Beyoncé). I Believe I Can Fly (R. Kelly), Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) (Stevie Wonder), You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder) and I’ll Be There (Jackson 5).

Practice Riffing with Steal Your Rock and Roll

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Cabaret Styles

You may have an opportunity to perform a Cabaret at various times in your career. Cabaret is a very special art form where you can explore what is unique and special about you as a performer and as a person. This chapter will help you understand the art form, what it is and what it is not. Your skills as an actor and a singer are vital to a great performance and yet what you do in this opportunity is very different from performing in a show or doing an audition. You are not preparing a role or presenting a character. You are you on the stage. This can be scary—like working without a net. But, it can be thrilling for you and your audience.

What is a Cabaret? Cabaret has meant many things at different times to different people. In general, the term today simply means a solo singer with piano singing songs in a small room. There are a limited number of cabaret houses in New York and other big cities that host cabaret singers. They usually seat fewer than 100 people. The intimacy of these smaller rooms is important in contemporary cabaret. One of the best ways to think of cabaret is as a great first date. It is as if someone who you really like has said, “So tell me about yourself. I’m really interested.” On a first date there are things that are appropriate to reveal and things you want to save for later. One common trap is to share too much intimate detail about you. Instead, keep it light, interesting, authentic, genuine, and most of all, you. In an interview with Playbill, Sherie Rene Scott said about her autobiographical show, which in many respects is a cabaret, Everyday Rapture, “everything is true — it's the whole truth, nothing but the truth, only better.” In other words, it’s okay to take some liberties to tell your story in an entertaining way. Another example is Sutton Foster who in her cabaret of songs from her album, Wish, did not mention her recent divorce, but instead shared her feelings in the songs. A cabaret is not a concert or a one-person show and it is not about your voice. The cabaret audience wants to hear your thoughts more than hear you sing. Cabaret is about the lyrics and the story that you tell through the lyrics. No matter what you sing, you must have a personal connection to it and a point of view. A cabaret needs to be personal but it does not have to be exclusively about you. If it is too much about your life then it runs the risk of appearing selfish. You should always being thinking of how the lyrics and patter intersect with the lives of your audience. One way to look at it is to think about what is universal about what you want to say. Without being preachy, it is helpful to think about the life lessons you've learned or are learning and weave them into your show. Some of the themes I am referring to could be to “take time to appreciate the good things about life” or “celebrating what is unique about each of us” or “we can learn to take the bad with the good in life without letting it get us down.” You can personalize the material while still allowing the audience to find themselves in your work. Your relationship with the music director is very important in helping you tell your story better. Share your story with your music director and allow them to create a backdrop that allows you to tell your unique story. It’s important that you listen to what the piano is giving you and

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respond to it. You will prepare with your music director arrangements for your show, which may be very different from the way we are used to hearing a particular song. This is one of the great joys in seeing a show—for the audience to hear a song in a brand new way that is from your unique perspective. The First Question The first thing you need to ask yourself is, “What do I want to say? What is special about my life experience that can hold the attention of someone that does not know me?” This last thing is very important since there is nothing worse than a cabaret of inside jokes and stories about things that an audience member may not know anything about. The difficulty is in editing your patter and presenting it in a way that is interesting, compelling and entertaining. There isn’t time to tell your complete life story. Instead, choose one or two specific things to share that you think will be interesting. You will be doing your show for an audience that includes many of your friends. Put that aside for this opportunity and prepare your cabaret as if you don’t know anyone. Do your cabaret for the people you do not know. Look for ways that you can tell positive stories that are universal in nature so that the audience can relate to you.

Song Selection The songs you choose for your cabaret can come from anywhere––musical theatre, standards, modern standards, contemporary pop, children’s songs, folk songs, etc. You will need to shape your ideas so that every song is there for a reason, tells a specific story and fits into the arc of your cabaret. There needs to be a beginning, middle and an end to your cabaret. A variety of styles, tempos and moods is crucial. Don’t choose too many ballads. It is good to choose a mixture of well-known and less well-known material. Present familiar songs in ways that the listener can hear it afresh and such that it tells your story. In choosing your songs, it is recommended that you start first with a list of songs you like and want to sing. Get with a coach, music director or voice teacher and just sing many songs. Allow the other person to respond to what suits you and doesn't. This approach is preferable to devising a theme and choosing songs that fit that theme. Once you have selected a large number of songs, more than you could actually sing, begin looking for themes. For each song, ask yourself, “What do I want to say through this song?”, “Why is it important to me?” and “Do I need this song?” Song selection is everything. There should be a mixture of both the familiar and the surprising. Allow us to hear something we've heard before in a new way. Please have a mixture of tempos and please not too many ballads. Include at least a couple of comedic moments in your songs or patter.

Patter Patter is the spoken material used to link song to song. It should be well-written and memorized. Do not try to improvise your patter. It should be a mixture of funny and serious. Don't give away too much about a song in the patter before. Don't interpret the song or give away the ending. If you don't need patter between two songs, don't use it. Patter shouldn't be too long

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at any given time. One useful tip for writing patter is to write stream of conscious about what a song means to you and how it touches your life and reflects your experience. Then, hone it down to the barest minimum of information. The edited writing you've done then becomes the subtext of the song’s performance. Stop short of telling us what the song will be and how we should understand it. Let the audience draw its own conclusion.

Vocal Style and Performance In keeping with the axiom that cabaret is the “art of being yourself, on purpose,” your singing style needs to match your speaking timbre. Use your true, authentic voice unless you choose to do an impersonation or something for comedic effect. In cabaret, we use a microphone so that one doesn’t need to project in the same way you must do if you are in a big theatre. Think of the audience as being very close to you. It is an intimate art form. Keep these things in mind as you are preparing your show vocally. Your blocking and movement choices need to be informed by the use of a microphone. Economy of movement is key. Less is more. There are essentially four positions for cabaret singing:

•Standing with the microphone in your hand. This position has a certain performance energy that is especially good for the opening song.

•Standing with the microphone in the stand. This is perhaps the most powerful position best reserved for your most powerful moment.

•Seated with the microphone in your hand. This communicates a casual intimacy with the audience.

•Seated with the microphone in the stand. This communicates that the lyric is very important. Nothing in this position distracts from the ideas in the song.

Things to consider for each song:1. Focus (full audience, single audience person, point beyond the audience, other)2. Mic position (Standing/mic stand, Standing/mic in hand, Seated/mic in stand, seated/mic in hand)3. Interpretation (Is the story you're sharing, your story? Is it clear?)1.Patter (is patter needed? Is there too much patter? Too little patter? Is it clear?)

Emotion There is a delicate balance at work in terms of emotional display. We, the audience, want to know there is a living, breathing human, like us, on stage—someone that has experienced the full range of life's ups and downs. But too much sad emotion is out of place and can make the audience uncomfortable. In terms of emotional colors, once again, variety is encouraged. The last thing you want from your show is to allow self-indulgence to creep in.

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A Final Word The audience wants to be moved, wants their hearts be touched, and may even want to be moved to tears. Mostly though, they want to be entertained. We might think of “entertaining” as a bad word or an unworthy objective. But most audience members who go to a show go to hear a few good tunes, to laugh and to have a few drinks. They want to feel, but mostly, they want to be entertained. Your audience should be your first priority.

 

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Critical Listening and Analytical Tools for Song Performance

Understanding theatre music at a deep level is something everyone can do once you learn to actively listen and understand how theater music is put together. Good theatre music is written to enhance and support the lyric. The best theatre music tells the same story as the lyric, amplifying it and adding subtext. When you see a musical for the first time, one of the most affecting and exciting qualities is that there is almost too much to make sense of4. You have actors, costumes, lights, sets, and an orchestra. You also have a book that is concise and packed with action, back story and subtext. You hear 15 or more songs that you've never heard and must process. Today, we have the luxury of listening to pop songs as many times as we would like. The theatre doesn't allow for that.

Due to the fast paced nature of most musicals, the book has to do a lot without slowing forward momentum. Much happens in a short time. That's why it's crucial that the composer write music that doesn't distract from the lyric. In fact, the music should amplify the lyric and point us toward important information. The history of Musical Theatre has shown us that composers of all types and periods have been successful at achieving this goal.

For Girl Crazy (1930), George Gershwin wrote "Somebody Loves Me," a beautifully simple 32-bar refrain that is almost completely diatonic, has regular and predictable rhythms and a simple accompaniment. During the 40s and 50s, Richard Rogers expanded the ways that music could function in shows. From the aria-like song, "Lonely Room" (Oklahoma!, 1943) to a complex musical scene that includes "If I Loved You" (Carousel, 1945) to a boisterous, instantly familiar children's song, "Do-Re-Me" (Sound of Music, 1959), he demonstrated a compositional style that could easily transform itself around the needs of a scene and show. In Sweeney Todd (1979), Stephen Sondheim continued Rodgers' expansion of what is possible. His score is dissonant and the songs are formally complex, but it is on many people's list of favorite scores because the music, as well as the book and lyrics, tells an exciting, original story. The music of these three composers couldn't be more different, but in each, the function of their music is the same: support and amplify the lyric, add subtext through music and provide a structure that an audience can understand with one hearing. Thinking about music in this way may be something that you've never done before. It can be difficult and technical. But I want to assure you that it does not require special music theory knowledge. It only requires good listening and reasoning skills. Think of it as a branch of the text analysis you would do when analyzing a lyric.

Critical Listening is a self-guided, self-disciplined way of listening that is active and involves reasoning to give meaning to what we hear. It is something that can be turned on and off depending on the situation. Use Critical Listening when you're seeing a musical, listening to a

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4 Goggle “Mike Isaacson TED Talk The Power of Musicals” for more about the complexity of musicals and their power.

cast album or listening to a speaker. Turn it off if you want to listen to music for pleasure or watch something for purely entertainment reasons. Like anything worthwhile, it takes practice which eventually leads to a certain degree of failure, then to the decision to try again and ultimately to success.

I want to mention specifically the kinds of things we can listen for when we study a musical score. When you're in an audience, this process is autonomic. You can trust that the information is being processed subconsciously. But when you are working toward being a well-prepared actor, we want to engage in detailed observation and listen critically.

Musical Components To Listen For

MelodyMelodies are connected to either the emotional life or the physical life of the character singing. A slow melody with a balanced contour can communicate love, sadness or other deep emotion. A quick melody with many repeated pitches can communicate worry, anger or some other more negative emotion. Patter songs are quick songs that leave little room to breathe, evoking excitability or a resolute decision. Sometimes there is an avoidance of traditional melody and characters can stay on one or two notes for a while when the moment calls for a more conversational quality or lack of emotion.

Listen to contour, or the up and down motion of a melody. A highly contoured melody tends to communicate more emotion and a less contoured melody communicates less emotion. Lastly, listen for range. A higher tessitura could communicate increased passion, love or excitement. Lower tessitura could communicate relaxation, a conversational quality or ease.

Please notice that I am not being scientific or exhaustive in discussing what is communicated. Naming every possible meaning is unachievable. Trust yourself. Actors are highly intuitive. Remember that songs are written to be understood on one hearing.

Listen to “Many a New Day” (Oklahoma!) for the way Laurey expresses a carefree, flippant attitude as she sings about a failed relationship which is of no importance. Listen to “My White Knight” (The Music Man) for the way the deep longings of an intelligent young woman are expressed in a highly contoured melody at a high tessitura. The character of the melodic writing changes to express the various things she is thinking and feeling.

HarmonyHarmony supports melody. Music can be completely diatonic and lacking in dissonance or highly discordant and filled with tension. Less dissonant music can communicate positivity or familiarity while dissonance can communicate tension, fear, hate or a high degree of passion. I need to tell you that not all composers of theatre music are equally adept at using harmony to communicate in the way most use melody. Some composers before 1965 composed only the

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melody and allowed the orchestrator to fill in the harmony. Outstanding orchestrators like Robert Russell Bennett (Oklahoma!, Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific) were quite sophisticated musically and theatrically and their work is filled with subtext. The rate at which harmony changes (called harmonic rhythm) can be fast, indicating excitement or nervousness, or it can be slow, indicating calm, ease, love, or boredom.

Listen to “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” (Oklahoma!). The harmony evokes a simple, folk-like quality that captures Curlie’s character. In “And This is My Beloved” from Kismet, the harmony suggests the exotic, far removed world of Baghdad.

RhythmRhythm can be predictable and smooth or unpredictable and syncopated. The tempo is that speed at which a song is sung and generally corresponds directly to the internal tempo of the character at that moment. The heartbeat (weak STRONG, pause) is a fundamental life rhythm. It appears in songs like “Tonight” (West Side Story) and “The Story Goes On” (Baby) in places of nervous excitement or deep connection.

Listen to “A Wonderful Guy” (South Pacific) for the driving, insistent rhythm at the beginning as Nellie sings about fearlessness. The rhythm becomes more lilting and uplifting toward the end as she sings about a love that makes her happy. In “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story, Tony’s music is unpredictable and syncopated to correspond to the anticipation he feels for an unexpected future.

OrchestrationOrchestration, or the practice of deciding what instruments play and how they are used, frequently tells us a great deal about the character and situation. A full string section can communicate passion or sorrow. Fast woodwinds can communicate nervousness. A flute can be sweet. A trumpet can be strong and powerful. Timpani drums and a big brass section can be majestic. A saxophone is often used to suggest the sexual. A lone, high violin can suggest a plaintive quality. Listen to Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev for the ways that instruments can help to tell a story. Most Broadway composers do not orchestrate their music. They supervise an orchestrator who decides, using the composer's musical intentions, exactly what each instrument plays.

In “Another Hundred People,” the orchestration consists of an angular keyboard part, skittering woodwinds, high violins sustaining long notes punctuated by punchy brass. The variety of textures suggest the chaos of life in New York City. Another example

Musical Symbolism Music can represent or suggest things is time and space. For instance, music that sounds like a March can suggest a parade while a Waltz suggests a genteel social gathering. A ticking clock can be represented in music to indicate passing time.

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At the beginning of “A Little Priest” (Sweeney Todd), the high, dissonant sustained chord before Mrs. Lovett sings represents the “light bulb” of an idea she has before she sings about the solution to their problem. “Before the Parade Passes By” (Hello Dolly) takes the form of a March to indicate the parade Dolly sings about.

Critical Listening Practice

Let's practice our Critical Listening skills by listening and responding to "Soliloquy" (Carousel), Billy's reaction to learning that he and Julie are having a baby. Listen for what is being communicated through the music. Is the composer communicating through rhythm, through melody, through harmony or some combination? Use many adjectives to describe the music and what you felt and thought. I would suggest listening three of four times to allow your thinking to become clearer. When you have finished, read my response to “Soliloquy” for comparison.

Critical Listening Response to "Soliloquy"

Soliloquy begins hesitantly as Billy gets used to the idea of becoming a father. The melody is low in his speaking range, and conversational. The rhythms are free, similar to the rhythms of speech. The music is in a minor key and the dissonance reflects Billy's discomfort. The "I wonder" in the lyric is echoed in the lack of musical resolution.

As he adjusts to the idea, the tempo picks up and the mood becomes lighter. When he sings of playing in the ocean, the melody is playful as it bobs up and down. He starts to like the idea of having a son. This leads to a patriotic, happy March that gives us the image of Billy proudly parading his son through town to show him off. "My boy Bill, I will see that he's named after me, I will!" Trumpets toot-toot after his first line to remind us we are at a parade. The section ends with a humorous line, "No pot bellied, baggy eyed bully 'll boss him around." The most important words are accented to underscore the father's determination to protect.

A comfortable, casual patter section with thin orchestration follows, explaining that he only cares that his son is happy. The melody is again in the speaking range. The simplicity and ordinariness of the music as he sings of the jobs his son could have reflects Billy's acceptance of his new life. When he thinks of his son carrying on his career as carousel barker, we slow down to savor "Of course it takes talent to do that well." Slowing down will provoke a chuckle that wouldn't happen without slowing.

Then we get into the son's romantic life. When he sings about what he doesn't want for his son, the accompaniment is off balance and has biting dissonance ("I'll be damned if he'll marry his bosses daughter"). When he thinks of a good love life for his son, he sings the most melodic and beautiful melody so far. "I can see him when he's seventeen or so." This is their love song and is supported by warm strings. It ends with the dramatic turning point of the song where the thought occurs to him for the very first time that his child could be a girl. In a transitional passage, we return to the music from the beginning as he sings, "You can have fun with a son but you got to

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be a father to a girl." The reprise reminds us that Billy is still afraid of what all this means for he and Julie. He has not changed.

But the image of his daughter as a "tin-type of her mother" does finally change his mind to acceptance and love. The climax, 5 1/2 minutes into the song, is a gorgeous, melodic ballad, "My little girl, pink and white as peaches and cream is she." Billy softens in a way we never expected as he opens his heart to her through this melody. The dénouement follows when he realizes with horror that his life must change drastically to prepare for her. The low strings suggest that this is a conviction from his soul. The music drives rhythmically toward the conclusion and leads us to his decision, the turning point of the musical the end of Act I: "I'll go out and make it or steal it or take it or die." The triumphant nature of the music with full orchestra and sung in the highest tessitura plays in contrast to the irony of his final words.

How to Use ItDoing this kind of work for any song will give you a wealth of knowledge to work with as an actor and a singer. It will give you images to play with, a sense of atmosphere and tempo and a knowledge of what you need to accomplish. It doesn't require any special understanding of music theory. If you know about chord functions and voice leading, by all means use it in your inspection. My point is that it's not necessary for a useful analysis.

Imagine the imagery and feelings in each section as you sing. As you do, natural adjustments will occur in your physicality and vocal production. At the beginning, allow the rhythms a great deal of freedom as this isn't a song as much as it is a conversation. Knowing this will remind you of the appropriate physicality for a conversation. The parade section will likely become less introspective and more boisterously exuberant vocally and physically. You might underscore the accents during, "No pot bellied, baggy eyed bully 'll boss him around" with your body. The idea behind the jobs section is that you are returning to the conversation with your partner. The audience is your partner as this is a soliloquy. Talk to them as you would a friend. There should be a physical response to the pride you feel in "Of course it takes talent to do that well."

When you imagine the horrible image of marrying the lariat-wearing shrew, the voice will change. Listen to the off kilter music before you sing to remind you of how terrible it would be. Everything changes immediately when you think with pride of a first date. Maybe you remember your first date. Seeing the two of them walking off together might bring a smile to your face. But this doesn't last for long because the image of your son is instantly transformed into a daughter. This is a nightmare. You would be a terrible father to a girl.

So far you've been through a great deal in the song. You thought you were getting someplace and you've had some fun. Now it's all gone. You're back where you started but worse. You despair. But then you look at your daughter and see the resemblance to the woman you love. You soften as you fall in love. This dramatic change will make changes in your body and your voice. You sing the most beautiful love song you know. So far, this moment has been more like a monologue, but now you really sing. Your voice is warm and resonant while your body becomes

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more still. When you realize your life must change forever, the body becomes more animated and an urgency comes into the voice. You end with conviction and passion.

Two Critical Listening AnalysesThe following analyses will offer two more examples of critical listening analysis. Compare the musical notes with the associated actions. For me, the most crucial component of any analysis is found in the question, "How can I use this information in my acting and singing."

Will He Like Me? (She Loves Me)

This moment has Amalia thinking about finally meeting the man she’s been writing and fallen in love with.

Lyric divided by beat Action Musical notes

Will he like me when we meet? Will the shy and quiet girl he's going to see be the girl that he's imagined me to be? Will he like me?

Amalia questions if she will be attractive to the man she has been writing.

The simple, non-melodic melody at the beginning is a perfect analogue to the questioning lyric. I’ll call the motive back and forth between D and E the “questioning motive”. She’s working out her problem. The melody opens up and encompasses a full octave. It moves from non-melodic to highly melodic within the span of only 8 bars! This soaring melody in the second half of this section is Amalia letting out her true feelings, desires and hopes out into the world.

Will he like the girl he sees? If he doesn't, will he know enough to know that there's more of me than I may always show? Will he like me?

She states her question in a new way.

An exact melodic repeat. She goes back to the problem. The lyrics go deeper into her worries and fears. She puts the lid back on her hopes and goes back to working out the problem.

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Lyric divided by beat Action Musical notes

Will he know that there's a world of love waiting to warm him? How I'm hoping that his eyes and ears won't misinform him.

She opens up her heart about what she has to offer the relationship and her wish that he see that which is within her.

The B section starts with the same melodic motive but an octave higher. The melodic idea that was first presented at the beginning is now allowed to fully flower. It has grown into a fully developed melody.

Will he like me, who can say? How I wish that we could meet another day. It’s absurd for me to carry on this way. I'll try not to. Will he like me? He's just got to. Will he like me? He's just got to.

She re-states her question and responds to the question for the first time.

Back to the A material. The penultimate line in the A section, “Will he like me” is a fully step higher, intensifying the question. The end of the section, the melody is not allowed to resolve. “He’s just got to” ends on a dissonant note, the second scale degree of G major. A new accompanimental idea is introduced here, the steady 8th flow corresponds to the ease she has when she writes alone.

When I am in my room alone and I write, thoughts come easily, words come fluently then. That’s how it is when I’m alone, but tonight, there’s no hiding behind my paper and pen.

Amalia describes how easy it is to write when she’s by herself and faces the fact that things will be much different when she’s face to face with him.

Here, Amalia takes stock of the difference between the two situations, writing when she’s alone and the terrifying thought of actually talking to him. She’s much more at ease when she writes to him alone. “There’s no hiding behind my paper and pen” has a steady quarter note accompaniment. This leads her back into the last section of the song. The accompaniment leading us back is the questioning motive, this time used to broaden and expand.

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Lyric divided by beat Action Musical notes

Will he know that there’s a world of love waiting to warm him? How I’m hoping that his eyes and ears won’t misinform him.

She returns to her thoughts about how much she can offer this man.

Like before, the B section allows us to see and hear the full depth of her desires.

Will he like me? I don’t know. All I know is that I’m tempted not to go. It’s insanity for me to worry so. I’ll try not to. Will he like me? He’s just got to. Will he like me? Will he like me?

Back to the initial questions; questions that build in intensity to the end.

Back to questioning. The questions “Will he like me” get progressively higher in pitch, ending with the song’s apex, F#. This dissonant note helps to emphasize the lack of resolution in the song. This song has an “ending where you start” arc.

“Will He Like Me?”: Analysis you can use

The “questioning motive” at the beginning should be performed parlando, in a rhythmically free, slightly non-legato manner. She is talking to herself as she wonders what her evening will be like. It’s a “non-melody” that opens up as she moves higher and the questions get more passionate. There is a return to the “questioning motive” as she goes back to working things out. After, there is a soaring melody as she expresses her deepest wishes. Because of the passion of the moment, you can sing with more legato and without rubato. The rhythm when she sings about what her life is like when she writes him is more flowing to express the ease she has when she’s alone. She allows herself to express a completely different side to her character. Then as it moves back to the low “questioning motive,” we understand that she hasn’t really solved anything. This music tells us that the arc is a “spiral arc.” Be aware that much of the melodic material is developed out of the two-note questioning motive, reminding us that this moment is about her questions.

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Lonely Room (Oklahoma)

This is the song near the end of Act I when Judd considers the nature of his life as he is alone in his room.

Lyric divided by beat Action Musical notes

The floor creaks, The door squeaks,There's a field-mousea-nibblin on a broomAnd I sit by myselfLike a cobweb on the shelfBy myself in a lonely room

Judd describes his world. There is a repeated half-step, dissonant repeated chord in the orchestra that suggests Judd’s conflict and tension. It supports a small melodic range indicative of Judd’s world. There is a preponderance of downward melodic motion.

But when there's a moon in my winderAnd it slants down a beam'crost my bedThen the shadder of a treestarts a-dancin on the wallAnd a dream starts a-dancin in my headAnd all the things I wish ferTurn out like I want them to beAnd I'm better'n that smart aleck cowboyWho thinks he is better'n me!

This section indicates that he has secret longings for something better than his hum-drum existence. He can imagine his life becoming more than it is.

The rapidly flowing accompaniment is a response to these images. They are the dream dancing in his head.

And the girl that I wantAin't afraid of my arms,And her own soft arms keep me warm

He allows himself to verbalize the what he most wishes.

This new section becomes much more melodic, responding to the images of love and embracing Laurey.

And her long,yeller hair, falls a-crost my face, Jist like the rain in a storm!

This is the best thing he can imagine. It is a simple, human desire.

There is a swell in dynamics supporting the passion he feels. The melodic motive, F#, G, A B, ends on the melody’s apex, C#—the highest note of the song.

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Lyric divided by beat Action Musical notes

The floor creaks, The door squeaksAnd the mouse starts a-nibblin on the broomAnd the sun flicks my eyesIt was all a pack o'lies!I'm awake in a lonely room.

But, here he is, as always, in a drab room realizing that this dream is not a reality.

Almost an exact repeat of the first A section. He is back in his room, facing his existence.

I ain't gonna dream 'bout her no more!I ain't gonna leave her alone!Goin' outside, Git myself a bride,Git me a womern to call my own.

He makes his decision: to persue his heart’s desire and not just dream about it.

Here, at the climax of the song, we hear new music. We hear driving music in the bass. The melodic motive, (F#, G, A B), is used on “Goin’ outside/Git myself a bride,”. The song ends on the melodic apex, C#. This is a non-chord tone of the home key, B minor. The final dissonant chord corresponds to Judd’s emotional state.

“Lonely Room”: Analysis you can useThe tension of the dissonant, repeated 1/2 steps in the accompaniment and the non-melodic melody suggest Judd’s world. Because the opening melody is a “non-melody”, it should be sung parlando—closer to speech. When the orchestra opens up in the B section, that is a clue for a more expansive vocal production and more physical activity. For the first time, we see Judd’s hopes and dreams. It builds to the first climax on “Jist like the rain in a storm.. There is then a return to the initial emotion place. Judd’s life is the same as it always was. But after returning there for a little while, there’s an abrupt change with “I ain’t gonna dream ‘bout her arms no more!” Judd makes a decision to act on his desires.

ConclusionThis kind of work can be applied to the songs you're working on and the ones in shows you're doing. Musical theatre songs since the 40s will be the richest sources. You might be frustrated with light, pop-influenced musical theatre and standards from the first part of the twentieth century. With all due respect, songs from Mamma Mia, Footloose, All Shook Up, Jersey Boys and similar shows will not yield much. The same goes for Memphis, American Idiot, Billy Elliot and The Producers. But other contemporary shows like Wicked (especially "The Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity"), In The Heights (especially "Breathe), Little Women (especially "Astonishing) and Jane Eyre (especially "Painting Her Portrait") are rich in the ways music is

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used to tell the story. For this opportunity, success isn't measured in the volume of cool things you find. It is measured in finding useful things that will enhance your acting and singing.

Here are some other examples where the music does a great job of telling the story.

A Cockeyed Optimist South PacificA Little Bit in Love Wonderful TownA Quiet Girl Wonderful TownA Trip to the Library She Loves MeAt the Fountain Sweet Smell of SuccessBarrett’s Song TitanicDon’t Rain on My Parade Funny GirlEverybody Loves Louis Sunday in the Park With GeorgeEverything’s Coming Up Roses GypsyFar From the Home I Love Fiddler on the RoofFinishing the Hat Sunday in the Park With GeorgeGeraniums in the Winder CarouselGiants in the Sky Into the WoodsGooch’s Song MameHe Plays the Violin 1776How Are Things in Glocca Morra? Finian’s RainbowI Cain’t Say No Oklahoma!I Could Have Danced All Night My Fair LadyI Enjoy Being a Girl Flower Drum SongI Have Confidence The Sound Of MusicI’ll Show Him Plain and FancyI’m In Love With a Wonderful Guy South PacificIs It Really Me? 110 in the ShadeIt’s a Perfect Relationship Bells are RingingJust You Wait My Fair LadyMany a New Day Oklahoma!Mister Snow CarouselMoments In the Woods Into the WoodsMuch More The FantasticksMy White Knight The Music ManOne Hundred Easy Ways to Loose a Man Wonderful TownOne White Dress A Catered AffairRibbons Down My Back Hello DollyRose’s Turn GypsyShow Me My Fair LadySimple Little Things 110 in the ShadeSome People GypsySomebody, Somewhere The Most Happy FellaSomething’s Coming West Side StoryThe Gentleman is a Dope AllegroThe Music That Makes Me Dance Funny GirlThe Simple Joys of Maidenhood CamelotWaiting For Life Once on This IslandWarm All Over The Most Happy FellaWhat’s the Use of Wond’rin’ CarouselWhen Did I Fall in Love? Fiorello!Will He Like Me She Loves MeWithout You My Fair Lady

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Musical Style through HistoryThroughout the book, I have assumed of the reader a general understanding of musical theatre history and the styles associated with each period. But if you have never had the chance to study this rich history, this chapter will give you an overview of the changing styles while leaving out historical details. It’s important for you to posses at least a general understanding of how styles changed since 1900 so you can understand how the songs you sing relate and differ. This chapter can’t begin to give you a thorough knowledge of Musical Theatre history so I recommend that you pick up one of the histories listed in the bibliography.

You will find a brief description of some of the major trends in Musical Theatre along with a description of some of the major composers and stylistic trends. If you really want to learn this material, take the time to listen to these songs to discover how they differ. Using your critical listening skills, observe how melody, harmony, rhythm, and the relationship between lyric and music changes through time.

Section 1–Early 20th C. to 1943: Operetta

Victor Herbert (1859-1924) Babes in Toyland, Naughty Marietta, The Red MillRudolf Friml (1879-1972) Rose-Marie, The Vagabond King, The Three MusketeersSigmund Romberg (1887-1951) The Student Prince, The Desert Song, The New Moon

Musical Theatre in New York in the first 30 years of the 20th C. was fell into two camps: Operetta and Musical Comedy. These three Operetta composers wrote in a relatively similar manner, so rather than talking about each of these composers separately, I will give you some stylistic traits for operetta in general. More than anything, operetta style is distinguished by its melody, often written fairly high, meant to be sung by classically-trained singers. The harmony is relatively simply in an early to mid-19th C. European style. The rhythm of operettas is also often simple with frequent use of waltz and other European dance music incorporated. The lyrics, with few exceptions, are usually flowery, highly poetic and usually not particularly mémorable. The music is often indistinguishable from European opera with one important difference. Opera commonly featured sung recitatives to advance the story while Operetta had spoken dialogue.

Songs to KnowDeep in My Heart, Dear. The Student Prince (Sigmund Romberg)Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life. Naughty Marietta (Victor Herbert)Indian Love Call. Rose Marie (Rudolf Friml)

Questions to ConsiderWhat did you observe about the singer's use of vibrato?What would you imagine is the acting style?What can you say about the way the lyrics are written?

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Vaudeville and Very Early Musical Theatre

Before Musical Theatre developed its own musical style in the mid-40s, the music of Broadway was quite similar to the popular music of its time. Melodies were very singable and rhythms were often danceable. In great numbers, consumers bought the sheet music and sang the songs at home. I hope you can hear in “I Wanna Be Loved By You” that the vocal style associated with this kind of music was quite the opposite of operetta. Commonly the singers were untrained and they simply belted out the tunes. This was more the case in the uproarious Vaudeville style than the more elegant Broadway. For both, the harmony is straightforward and the rhythm borrows from ragtime. In addition to toe-tapping uptempos, there were also quite a lot of sentimental love song ballads. The lyrics were about common people, often in humorous situations. In this early style, there wasn’t an effort to match the musical style to the character or situation. That would come in the 40s. Here the composers were just trying to write warm and beautiful ballads or memorable, entertaining uptempos. Please find more about the history of Vaudeville in chapter ??.

Songs to Know“Shine On, Harvest Moon”, a vaudeville song by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth. (1908)“I Love a Piano” is one of Irving Berlin’s first hits (1915).“I Wanna Be Loved By You” from the musical Good Boy (1928) by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby."I Want to Be Happy" from No, No, Nanette (1925) composed by Vince Youmans.

Questions to ConsiderIn terms of formality or informality, how does this period differ from Operetta?What can you say about the use of rhythm in these songs?Imagine that you are in the audience that these songs were intended for. What is your life like?

Early Musical Theatre Composers

In the early days of Broadway, the style was fast and comedic and songs were not expected to advance the plot.

Jerome Kern Major shows: Show Boat, Sally, Oh, Boy!, Leave It To Jane

Style

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•Kern’s style is exemplified by the importance of melody above harmony and rhythm. He stands at the cross-roads of operetta and the emerging American theatre style. His early works sound like operetta.•His melodies are unexpected. The melodies seems simple but rarely are. “All the Things You Are” includes all 12 chromatic tones and is in three different keys! •Show Boat prefigured the advances made by Oklahoma with an integrated score advancing the plot.• His songs are among the first to reflect the character that sings it. “Old Man River”, for instance, sounds like a spiritual and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” sounds like a Blues song.

Songs to Know

“They Didn’t Believe Me” (The Girl from Utah, 1913)"Look For the Silver Lining" (Sally, 1919)“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (Showboat, 1927) “Ol’ Man River” (Showboat, 1927)“All The Things You Are” (Very Warm For May, 1939)

George GershwinMajor shows: Girl Crazy, Lady, Be Good, Strike Up the Band, Porgy and Bess (Opera)

Style•Rhythm and harmony are more important than melody•He often has melodies with repeated notes•He experimented with larger forms (Porgy and Bess, a piano concerto and orchestral music like Rhapsody in Blue and American in Paris). More than anyone else of his time, he wanted to be known as a serious composer.•He wanted to study composition with the French master Ravel, but Ravel said he couldn’t teach Gershwin anything. •He wanted to create a quintessentially “American sound” based in jazz.•His melodies often contain blue notes. These are the special scale degrees, flat 3 and flat 7, that come from jazz and the blues. “The Man I Love” which we listened to earlier, is a great example of this.

Songs to Know“I Got Rhythm” (Girl Crazy)“Nice Work If You Can Get It” (Damsel In Distress, film and Nice Work If You Can Get It)“Fascinating Rhythm” (Lady, Be Good)“Strike Up the Band” (Strike Up the Band) “The Man I Love” (Strike Up the Band)

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Richard Rodgers (with Lorenz Hart) Major shows: A Connecticut Yankee, On Your Toes, Jumbo, Pal Joey

Style•Melody is more important than rhythm or harmony.•There are many melodic surprises•All of his songs are theatre songs, never pop songs. He is the standard bearer for great theatre ballads. •He uses straight forward forms like AABA and ABAB.•His melodies are less Operetta-like than Kern’s but still quite lush and beautiful. It’s important to note that the music he wrote with Hart is very different from the music he wrote later with Hammerstein. The earlier music is lighter an the uptempos and jazzier.•He didn’t strive for “importance” like Gershwin. He just wanted to write great theatre songs.

Songs to Know“Manhattan” (Garrick Gaieties)“My Funny Valentine” (Babes in Arms)“My Heart Stood Still” (A Connecticut Yankee)“Bewitched” (Pal Joey)

Questions to Consider:

Section 2–1943 to the late 60s: The Golden Age of Musical Theatre

The sea change that occurred in 1943 with Oklahoma cannot be overstated. The innovations it brought would have a lasting effect on every show produced for at least the next 30 years. Thomas Hischak writes, "Not only is 'Oklahoma!' the most important of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, it is also the single most influential work in the American musical theatre. ... It is the first fully integrated musical play and its blending of song, character, plot and even dance would serve as the model for Broadway shows for decades.FIND A BETTER QUOTE.

Oklahoma ushered in a period commonly called The Golden Age, which lasted, depending the source, for the next 20 or 30 years. The first six song-writing teams are the most recognizable and identifiable Golden Age composers and lyricists. The teams that follow either have fewer major shows or don’t have a single, identifying style.

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Richard Rodgers (with Oscar Hammerstein II)Major Shows: Oklahoma, Carousel, King and I, South Pacific, Sound of Music

•Simplicity and truthfulness •Music is always character based•No artifice•Hammerstein's humanity, plain-spoken lyrics where emotion is direct. •Full orchestra. Very little drums. •No Jazz influence. •Robert Russell Bennett's orchestration is a big part of the R & H sound. It is characterized by memorable countermelodies and lush strings. •Romantic, lush and designed to go directly to the heart•Melody based. Not rhythm or harmony•You leave whistling the tunes. •Lyrics came first and melody follows. •Many instances of hymn-like tunes. (This Nearly Was Mine, Bali Hai, Climb Every Mountain, You'll Never Walk Alone, and Something Wonderful)•Almost in love song like “People Will Say We’re In Love” and “If I Loved You”•Memorable Character numbers like “I Cain’t Say No” and “A Puzzelment”•Ballet music is important. •Big choruses.

Songs to Know“Oklahoma” (OKLAHOMA!)"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" (OKLAHOMA!)“You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Carousel)“Something Wonderful” (The King and I)“A Wonderful Guy” (South Pacific)

Lerner and LoeweMajor Shows: Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Camelot

•They are easy to confuse with Rodgers and Hammerstein•You could many of the same things about about their music. •It's lush and orchestral. •Not jazzy. •Melody first. •Bennett also orchestrated for them so the sound is similar.

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•As compared to Rodgers and Hammerstein, their songs are more for the mind and less from the heart. Lyrics are witty and ironic. “Shall kith not kill their kin for me”, for example. •They seem less American because of the locations, both musically and lyrically. •Unlike Rodgers and Hammerstein, the songs feel less like they could fit only in their respective show. “Almost Like Being in Love” could fit in other shows. •Some choral work but less than Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Songs to KnowAscot Gavotte (My Fair Lady)I Could Have Dance All Night (My Fair Lady)The Simple Joys of Maidenhood (Camelot)Almost Like Being in Love (Brigadoon)

Frank LoesserMajors shows: Guys and Dolls, Most Happy Fella, How To Succeed in Business Without Really TryingDESCRIPTION OF LOESSER

Jule Styne (with various lyricists)Major shows: Gypsy, Funny Girl, Bells are Ringing

•The music is Jazz based. His songs really establishes the sound of the “show tune.”•More rhythmic than Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Loewe•Incorporates the sound of popular music •Songs tell the stories of their characters and each of his shows has their own world with internal style like Rodgers and Hammerstein.•Almost no choral singing. •Could possibly be confused with Loesser or Bernstein.

Songs to Know“Some People” (Gypsy)“Rose’s Turn” (Gypsy)“I’m Going Back” (Bells are Ringing)“Don’t Rain On My Parade” (Funny Girl)

Leonard BernsteinMajor shows: West Side Story, On the Town, Wonderful TownCandide is unlike the others in style and scope

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•Symphonic, big orchestra and bold orchestrations•Jazz based, with the exception of Candide. •Rhythm is the most important aspect but harmony and melody are complex and important. •His melodies are difficult to sing and the harmony is the most complex in musical theatre until we get to Sondheim. •His shows feel very New York. It’s quite sophisticated. •Could possibly be confused with Styne or Loesser

Songs to Know“I Can Cook, Too” (On the Town)“Ohio” (Wonderful Town)“Jet Song” (West Side Story)“Somewhere” (West Side Story)

Jerry Bock and Sheldon HarnickMajor shows: Fiorello, Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me

•Almost as much as Rodgers and Hammerstein, their music is at one with the shows. Every show has a language of its own based on the location and the kind of story it is. •Songs come directly from the character. •Their music is less grand or formal than Rodgers and Hammerstein•High degree of emotionalism. •You can't imagine putting their songs in any other show. •Can be confused with Rodgers and Hammerstein •Frequent group numbers

Songs to Know“If I Were a Rich Man” (Fiddler on the Roof)“Matchmaker, Matchmaker” (Fiddler on the Roof)“When Did I Fall In Love” (Fiorello)“Tonight at Eight” (She Loves Me)

Other major composers and lyricists during this period Adler and Ross (Pajama Game and Damn Yankees) have only two shows in the repertoire but they are both strong. Their shows could be confused with Jule Styne or possibly Bock and Harnick.Meredith Wilson (The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown) The Music Man is considered by some to be one of the greatest book musicals of all time. His shows could be confused with Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Loewe. There are lots of group numbers.Charles Strouse with various lyricists (Major shows: Annie, Bye, Bye Birdie, Applause, Rags) The first two shows and some of the most frequently revived shows. He is one of the most underrated composers and his scores have possibly the widest variety with the exception of Frank Loesser.

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Burton Lane (Finian’s Rainbow, On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever) Finian’s Rainbow could be confused with Brigadoon and On a Clear Day could be confused with Jule Styne or Bock and Harnick. Questions to Consider

The Golden Age styleIt's difficult to find traits that pertain to all Golden Age shows but here a few of them.

•Big orchestra with lots of strings, brass and winds. •Songs which are always plot-based•An equality of importance between music and lyric•Vocal styles are in generally one of two camps: Leading roles call for trained voices in a light classical/serious musical theatre style and supporting/comic roles for singing actors with less need for trained voices. As the period progresses there are times when leading characters have the voices usually associated with character roles. •Extended musical forms (beyond the usual verse/refrains of musical comedy) “Soliloquy” from Carousel and “Lonely Room” from “Oklahoma” are quite complex. •Choral numbers

The purpose is to give a broad sweep of musical styles so that students can identify composers or at least style periods by hearing.

Section 3–1970 to the Present: Post-Golden Age

Stephen SondheimMajor Shows: Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Passion

Style•His songs set a high standard for theatre music and lyrics•Many of his musicals are concept musicals, i.e. they don’t tell a linear story from beginning to end.•The music and the lyrics are highly integrated and support each other.•Witty, smart lyrics and music that is more complex than the average Broadway show.•Irony is common•Musical dissonance is common and used for dramatic purposes.•Almost no musical allusions to Popular music•His songs are based first and foremost on the lyric with the music helping to communicate the lyric and its subtext.

Songs to Know“A Weekend in the Country” (A Little Night Music)“Everybody Loves Louis” (Sunday in the Park With George)

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“No More” (Into the Woods)“I Read” (Passion)

Kander and EbbMajor Shows: Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Curtains, Scottsboro Boys

Style•The music of Kander and Ebb is frequently characterized by direct references to earlier styles (see below)•Black humor derived from cynicism, often pertaining to death (“Electric Chair”) but also to other taboo subjects like Menage a Trois (“Two Ladies”), is common. •Rhythm is the most identifying musical component.

Songs to Know“Two Ladies” from Cabaret. The music in Cabaret is modeled on the Weimar Cabaret sound exemplified by Threepenny Opera and Kurt Weill’s music.“Mister Cellophane” from Chicago. The show evokes the sound of Vaudeville.“Show People” from Curtains. The music of Curtains draws on the traditions of early Musical Comedy exemplified by the shows of Irving Berlin.“Electric Chair” from The Scottsboro Boys. The music of this show draws on the music of the Minstrel tradition.

Jerry HermanMajor shows: Hello, Dolly!, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles

Style•Lush, romantic music referencing earlier Musical Theatre styles. His songs are true Show Tunes!•He is most similar in sound to Jule Styne•The orchestra is characterized by lots of strings•There is strong female lead in most of his shows, or in the case of La Cage, a drag queen.•Herman’s songs are characterized by strong, singable melodies.

Songs to Know“Hello, Dolly” from Hello, Dolly“Bosom Buddies” from Mame“I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles

Andrew Lloyd Webber (with various lyricists)Major Shows: Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Phantom of the Opera

Style•His shows are grand with big themes in bold colors

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•The music often references Popular styles, especially rock, while at the same time, his melodies resemble the operatic arias of Puccini and Verdi•Webber’s soaring melodies are the most identifying musical component•Big orchestras with strings, brass (especially French horn) and synthesizers and electric guitars

Songs to Know“Buenos Aires” from Evita“Memory” from Cats“All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera

Claude-Michel Schönberg (with various lyricists)Major Shows: Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, The Pirate Queen

Style•These shows are similar to the shows of Andrew Lloyd Webber in the importance of big melodies in a lush musical style•Vocal style for these shows is rich and bold with unique mixture of classical sound with pop inflections.•Frequent use of a modern recitative style (exemplified by the opening of “I Dreamed a Dream.” These recitatives are often on a single note.•Big orchestras with strings, brass, percussion and synthesizers

Songs to Know“I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables“Do You Hear the People Sing” from Les Miserables“The Heat is On in Saigon” from Miss Saigon

Questions to Consider

Many great composers like Cy Coleman, whose career spanned over 30 years, and Stephen Schwartz, who started his Broadway career in 1971 and is still writing, have been left off of this list for the sake of brevity.

Further Exploration:Make a list of the composers in the last 20 years that you think are the most important. Research their shows, styles and discover the shows that you don’t know yet.

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Hallmarks of Professionalism This should go someplace else

A professional in the performing arts...

•has an endless curiosity about the world around them and the people with whom they share the planet. •has empathy for others. •is passionate about their work without becoming obsessive and self-destructive. •has the ability to work when tired, angry, frustrated or distracted.•is capable of dealing with adversity in their career and relationships. •has strong opinions but is able to see another side of things without losing their own point of view. •seeks to find the positive in every experience. •has character. •is disciplined, even when they don't see immediate results. •is responsible and carries through on agreed tasks.

Obviously, there are times when we don’t live up to these goals, but they will help to promote success and personal satisfaction.

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