MUSICAL THEATER SONGS FOR WOMEN
Here is a clickable list of recommended songs/repertoire for women of all ages to begin your song search. The database below is interactive and includes links to Amazon, iTunes and Musicnotes.com to help you choose songs that you would want to work on in a session with me!
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THE SINGER - LIZA MINNELLI
This is a great, underdone song that I became familiar with when Liza recorded it. It's a cabaret piece that could be a great audition song for Sally Bowles.
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ALMOST YOUNG (Mrs. Santa Claus)
From the CBS TV movie musical, this Jerry Herman song would be a great song for a woman to sing as an audition piece for Mame, Dolly or as a standalone cabaret piece. Originally introduced by Angela Lansbury.
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WILLING TO RIDE (Steel Pier)
A fun, underdone Kander and Ebb song from their show, Steel Pier. Originally sung by Karen Ziemba, it feels like a standard Liza song, and could be useful for auditioning for The Rink or Flora, The Red Menace.
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LOVE AND LOVE ALONE (The Visit)
Another Kander and Ebb song from their most recent Broadway show. Originally sung by Chita Rivera. A haunting melody for an older actress to use for auditions, and can be used by female actors that don't consider themselves singers.
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ONE PERFECT MOMENT (Bring It On: The Musical)
From the musical based on the movie. The song, by Tom Kitt, Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda is a great example of a contemporary musical theater ballad for a teenage female musical theater singer.
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PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME, HONEY (In The Good Old Summertime)
Originally written in 1911, and sung by Judy Garland in the MGM movie, this song would be a great early 20th century song for a Musicals Tonight audition or musical set in the early 20th century. Get it in B-flat, and sing it down the octave from where it is written on Musicnotes. Can be done as an uptempo or ballad as demonstrated in the funny scene in the movie.
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THE HISTORY OF WRONG GUYS (Kinky Boots)
From the musical based on the movie, this song by Cynthia Lauper (as written on the sheet music, very formal!) for the character of the shoe factory worker, Lauren. A great contemporary, relatable song for a teenager female singer to work on.
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I AM WHAT I AM (La Cage Aux Folles)
This is typically thought of as a male musical theater song, but has been recorded by Shirley Bassey and Linda Eder. This great arrangement of the song from Eder's Broadway, My Way album builds wonderfully with typical Eder key changes. It can be found at the above link on Musicnotes, and is so much better than the Vocal Selections arrangement.
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WHAT MORE DO I NEED? (Saturday Night)
This is an early Sondheim piece from one of his first musicals, Saturday Night, that was supposed to be produced pre-West Side Story but because of the death of his lead producers, this show wasn't produced until the late 1990's. However, I became familiar with this song on the recording A Stephen Sondheim Evening when Liz Callaway gave a wonderful performance of the song.
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RUNNING (Hot Mess In Manhattan)
Originally conceived as a cabaret, Hot Mess In Manhattan is evolving into a stage musical. This song by Adam Gwon is about what the city experience of a modern-day 20-something is really like versus how the New York life of Carrie Bradshaw was depicted in Sex and the City.
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I WANTED TO CHANGE HIM (Hallelujah, Baby!)
Such a great, underdone song! Originally sung by Leslie Uggams, this Styne/Comden & Green song is a feisty uptempo along the same lines as "Wherever He Ain't," "So Long, Dearie," and "I Resolve." The Musicnotes key is the same as the original cast recording. This would be an amazing song choice to audition for Rosie in "Bye, Bye, Birdie."
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FLY INTO THE FUTURE (Vanities)
Originally sung by Lauren Kennedy, this song is an uptempo contemporary musical theater song. In the show, it is sung by the character of Mary, who longs to break out from her current surroundings and the predictable life choices of her family and friends.
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PULLED (The Addams Family)
A fun, contemporary uptempo piece sung by the character of Wednesday, who finds that love is pulling her in a new direction. A great song for a female teenager to sing to audition for a contemporary show with teenage actors like 13.
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DON'T WANNA BE HERE (Ordinary Days)
A great, up-tempo conversational contemporary musical theatre song. Edgy, sarcastic- great for a young female singer with attitude in their late teens-early 20s.
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JUST NOT NOW (I Love You Because)
A moving, contemporary ballad from the end of the first act of I Love You Because, a modern-day musical based on Pride and Prejudice. This song is sung by Marcy in response to Austin's admission of his feelings for her, and she tells him that she wants true love someday, but just not now.
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EVEN THOUGH (I Love You Because)
Another great, contemporary ballad from I Love You Because. This song is Marcy's Act II change of heart, telling Austin that she loves him, in spite of all the things she doesn't really like about him.
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DAYS OF PLENTY (Little Women)
One of my favorite songs from this score. This is Marmee's Act II power ballad of mourning, originally sung by Maureen McGovern.
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THE LIFE I NEVER LED (Sister Act)
Sister Mary Robert's big ballad from the stage musical of Sister Act. This arrangement is a great piano reduction of the original orchestration, and could be an interesting choice to sing for another Menken character, Ariel, in The Little Mermaid.
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WHERE IS THE WARMTH? (The Baker's Wife)
This beautiful ballad from The Baker's Wife is a great actable song from Stephen Schwartz's show that has still not been produced on Broadway. Orginally sung by Patti LuPone, the song has a very similar ending as the more familiar Meadowlark, and could also be used as a cut for an audition.
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DISNEYLAND (Smile)
It's great to have a clean, legible copy of arguably the best-known song from Smile, the Ashman/Hamlisch musical about a teen beauty pageant. Originally sung by Jodi Benson, who was the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid movie.
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IS SOMEONE OUT THERE? (In The Beginning)
I became familiar with this song on the great album, The Maury Yeston Songbook, when Eden Espinosa sang this song. I would get the song on Musicnotes in B-flat, the same key as the recording.
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OUT HERE ON MY OWN (Fame)
Originally sung by Irene Cara, the above Musicnotes arrangement is so much better than a Vocal Selections arrangement of the song I found in terms of how full the piano accompaniment is, which sounds more like the recording. I would get it in G Major, the key that Cara recorded it in.