Low male voice repertoire in contemporary musical theatre: a studio and performance guide of selected songs 1996-2020 by

Example 4.2. Utilizing Melodic Pattern for Aural Skills and Vowels Exercise. 
Vocalism. “We Look to You” offers numerous opportunities for a singer to explore functional 
use of their voice as an actor – descriptive lyrics paired with slow harmonic rhythm can immediately be 
tied to a teacher’s struggle as an educator and as someone longing to escape banality. The repetitive text 
can also lead to exploration on emphasis and singing on consonants themselves as ways to engage an 
audience, scene partner, or colleague. The lower and more compact range of tessitura allows for the use 
of legit, classical influenced sounds within the learning process towards a unified timbre across registers, 
but takes away the potential issues of stamina in slightly higher standard repertoire (“Bois épais”, 
“Shenandoah” arr. Dougherty, “Tu lo Sai”, “This Nearly Was Mine”) or the desire to showcase a unified 
sound within a juried performance. 
Songs in a Similar Style. “Welcome to the World” from Man of No Importance,
“The Great Comet of 1812” Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, “I’d Rather Be Sailing” from A 
New Brain. 

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35 
Chapter 5:
 
ROCK/POP
 
SONGS 
Sheri Sanders identifies nine overarching styles of popular music that have appeared in Broadway 
musicals over the last half-century and they are as follows – Motown; ‘70’s Folk/Rock; Disco; ‘80s 
Pop/Rock; Contemporary Pop, R&B, and Rap; Contemporary Rock, Punk, and Emo; Contemporary 
Pop/Rock; Country; and Poetic
1
. Most of these categories are split chronologically in reference to their 
development and heyday as popular styles in the United States. The contemporary adjective in this case 
references from 1990- present day for three categories. It is important when selecting audition cuts for 
pop/rock indicated casting calls to consider what time period the show takes place in, as it can inform the 
overall “feel” of the show and what piece(s) might present the best expressive options and opportunities 
to showcase authentic era-appropriate vocalisms. Sanders offers a list of sixty-seven musicals since Hair 
that represent pop/rock music in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions
2
. The first successful 
Broadway musical of the 1990s to feature a majority of songs with original music from any of the three 
contemporary categories was Rent (1996). Bass roles from pop/rock musicals of earlier eras were few 
and far between, with Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar being the most prominent example, followed by 
the low baritone role of Juan Perón from Evita as another creation by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Rent 
includes a difficult casting challenge in Tom Collins, described as a soulful/gospel low baritone
3
with a 
notated range in callback materials going from F#
2
-A
4
4
beyond the scope of the guidelines earlier in the 
document for determining accessible bass-baritone or bass material. The following in-depth analysis 
focuses on material from three shows from the modern musical era; Once (2012), If/Then (2014), and The 
SpongeBob Musical (2017). 
1
Sheri Sanders, Rock The Audition, 2
nd
ed. (self-pub., 2019), 17. 
2
Ibid., 52-53.
3
“’Rent’ Nonunion National Tour, Replacements,” Work Light Productions LLC, Backstage, accessed 
September 2, 2020, https://www.backstage.com/casting/rent-nonunion-national-tour-replacements-196915. 
4
“RENT Non-Equity Tour,” Wojcik/Seay Casting, LLC., accessed September 2, 2020, 
https://wscasting.com/audition_info/rent-non-aea-national-tour/ 

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36 
Table 5.1. “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy”