Looking for some musical theatre songs that are sure to impress at your next audition?
Whether you have a musical theatre audition coming up, or you just love singing along with the best of the genre, you’ve come to the right place!
The wide repertoire of musical theatre songs is full of everything from desperate ballads to uproarious anthems. All of these memorable songs are great ways to express both your voice and your acting skills. When you pour your heart and soul into these theatrical pieces, audiences are sure to resonate.
To kick off our guide to the best musical theatre songs, check out the video from our expert vocal coach Betsy. In it, she shares which musical theatre songs are the right fit for each voice type and role. Follow Betsy’s tips to leave the best impression at your audition!
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How Do You Nail a Musical Audition?
The best tip for nailing your audition is to choose the right song. When you’re trying to choose the perfect musical theater audition song, it isn’t always easy. To narrow down your search, ask yourself the following questions:
- How long do you want your audition song to be? There are 16 bar musical theater audition songs as well as 32 bar musical theater audition songs. Pick the right length for the audition type!
- What genres do you like to sing? While pop rock musical theater audition songs might be appropriate for some people, other voices might be better suited to jazz, country, or some other genre.
- What are the audition requirements? Read these carefully!
Finally, consider the type of role you’re looking for and do your best to match your audition song to that role.
Before you head to the audition, be sure to check out this video of how to sing better instantly, too! It’s sure to give you some inspiration:
Best Musical Theater Audition Songs: Female
Below, we’ve compiled some of the best musical theatre songs to sing at your next audition, broken down by voice type (such as musical songs for altos). Check out this comprehensive list of songs from musicals and then keeping reading for tips on how to ace your audition!
Musical Songs for Sopranos:
At the top of our list are the highest in pitch, the sopranos. Many of these theatre tunes are perfect songs to sing in auditions for female roles, if you’ve got the right range for them. Just reading down this top 10 list is sure to give you memories of some of the greatest musical theatre performances of all time!
1. “Better” — Legally Blonde
2. “Think of Me” — The Phantom of the Opera
3. “I Could Have Danced All Night” — My Fair Lady
4. “It’s a Fine, Fine Line” — Avenue Q
5. “Moonfall” — The Mystery of Edwin Drood
6. “Home” — Beauty and the Beast
7. “Somewhere” — West Side Story
8. “The Light in the Piazza” — The Light in the Piazza
9. “How Lovely to be a Woman” — Bye Bye Birdie
10.“Matchmaker” — Fiddler on the Roof
Musical Theater Audition Songs for Altos:
Although alto is Italian for “high,” the alto range is commonly the lowest range for women. Here are some of the best audition songs for altos, including music from several eras of musical theatre, so you can get out there and sing your heart out!
1. “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” — Grease
2. “Holding Out for a Hero” — Footloose
3. “Always True to You in My Fashion” — Kiss Me Kate
4. “Astonishing” — Little Women
5. “Welcome to the ’60s” — Hairspray
6. “Pulled” — The Addams Family
7. “All for You” — Seussical
8. “I’m Not At All in Love” — The Pajama Game
9. “Mama Who Bore Me” — Spring Awakening
10.“Beautiful” — Carole King’s Beautiful
RELATED: How to Sing High Notes
Audition Songs for Mezzo-Soprano Musical Theater:
Somewhere between a soprano and a contralto is the mezzo-soprano, another classical type of female singing voice. Here are some of the best musical theater audition songs for mezzo-sopranos!
- “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” – Gypsy
- “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” – Finian’s Rainbow
- “Easy to be Hard” – Hair
- “Everything Changes” – Waitress
- “Take Back Your Mink” – Guys and Dolls
- “The History of Wrong Guys” – Kinky Boots
- “I Never Wanted This” – It Shoulda Been You
- “Home” – Beauty and the Beast
- “Daddy’s Girl” – Gray Gardens
- “I Cain’t Say No” – Oklahoma!
Musical Theater Audition Songs: Male
Don’t worry, fellas! We didn’t forget about you. Here are some of the best musical theater audition songs for you.
Musical Theatre Songs for Tenors:
On the high end of the male vocal range lies the tenor. Countless classics fall within this range, so there are plenty of great musical theatre songs for tenors to choose.
1. “Maria” — West Side Story
2. “Magic Foot” — The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
3. “I Believe” — Book of Mormon
4. “Almost Like Being in Love” — Brigadoon
5. “Close Every Door” — Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
6. “Santa Fe” — Newsies
7. “Fortune Favors the Brave” — Aida
8.“Some Enchanted Evening” — South Pacific
9.“Dancing Through Life” — Wicked
10. “When the Sun Goes Down” — In the Heights
Good Audition Songs for Bass Singers:
Carrying the low end and providing some of the most memorable musical theatre moments of all time, bass singers can belt out with these ten instant classics.
1. “I Wanna be a Producer” — The Producers
2. “Try to Remember” — The Fantasticks
3. “The Music of the Night” — The Phantom of the Opera
4. “Comedy Tonight” — A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum
5. “Ol’ Man River” — Showboat
6. “Coffee Shop Nights” — Curtains
7. “Mr. Cellophane” — Chicago
8. “My Defenses Are Down” — Annie Get Your Gun
9. “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” — Spamalot
10. “Edelweiss” — The Sound of Music
SEE ALSO: How to Sing Better Instantly
More Musical Theatre Songs for Male and Female:
When it comes to world-class musical theatre, nothing quite beats a duet. A pair of voices can cover the entire vocal range and convey a captivating, dramatic tension together. So, grab a friend and try one of these tunes!
1. “On Broadway” — All that Jazz
2. “Man of La Mancha” — Man of La Mancha
3. “Take Me or Leave Me” — Rent
4. “Heaven On Their Minds” — Jesus Christ Superstar
5. “One” — A Chorus Line
6. “Another Hundred People” — Company
7. “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man (of Mine)” — Showboat
8. “Before the Parade Passes By” — Hello Dolly
9. “It’s De-lovely” — Anything Goes
10. “Who Will Buy” — Oliver!
What Should You Not Do at a Musical Theater Audition?
There are a few mistakes you can make at a musical theater audition.
For instance, you should always make sure you warm up. Not warming up is one of the biggest mistakes you can make! Prepare yourself both physically and mentally by practicing as often as possible.
Focus on your voice – but not just your voice. If you’re auditioning with accompaniment, be sure to acquaint yourself with how that will sound, too.
Of course, choosing the wrong song is one of the biggest mistakes you can make at an audition! Make sure you consider the list of the best musical theater audition songs above as you’re preparing for the big day.
Other Tips to Help You Ace Your Audition
Once you’ve picked your perfect musical theater song, keep these other tips in mind to sing better and make a good impression at your next audition:
- As you prepare, remember the typical 16-bar and 32-bar cuts, and make sure your song fits appropriately.
- When you step into the audition, introduce yourself, smile, and be pleasant! Directors sit through many, many auditions, and you want to catch their attention in a positive way.
- Consider preparing both uptempos and ballads, no matter what show or part you are auditioning for. You never know what the director is looking for!
There are so many good musical songs out there, but the list above includes songs that are appropriate to sing for contemporary musical theatre auditions today.
And if you’re a teen? Be sure to check out this list of the best musical theater audition songs for young adults!
Remember, if a song you love is not in the right range, you can always change the key! This is a skill that a voice teacher could easily help you with.
If you would like a professional’s guidance as you learn how to sing any of these songs from musicals, feel free to schedule a singing lesson today!
Post Author: Liz T.Liz T. teaches singing and acting lessons online. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M. in Vocal Performance and currently performs/teaches all styles of music including Musical Theater, Classical, Jazz, and Country. Learn more about Liz here!
Bonus: We’ve teamed up with Musical Theater Songs to offer an exclusive membership discount — use code FBFRIEND and get access to a full library of more than 9,000 audition songs for just $59/year (that’s 25% off the yearly price!). With Musical Theater Songs, you can:
- Custom-tailor your search for songs, using up to 20 different parameters and 100 descriptive tags
- Get direct links to sheet music and recordings
- Connect with your school’s or local library’s music collection through Worldcat
Learn more here!
did anyone else notice that it said “I could have danced all night” is from The King and I? It’s from My Fair Lady. Most of these are also way overdone. Never audition with “Think of Me”. Also, the name of the song from Rent under both male and female audition songs is “take me or leave me” not “take me for what I am”.
Thanks for catching those song titles, Karina! We’ve fixed them now.
My name is Karina too!
Pulled is not a song an alto should sing. Yeah, some altos might be able to hit some of the higher notes but not all altos can.
if im an alto and auditioning for the cat in seussical would it be dumb to sing all for you?
Sing a cat related song like from Lion King Jr or from another musical that has cat roles
so many of these are backwards, “there’s a fine, fine line” should be sung by and alto and “pulled” is defiantly more of a soprano song over an alto song
Please check out the various web pages of audition songs to avoid! The songs above are fantastic songs, but most of them are over done and audition panels want to hear something else.
What about Baritones and Mezzo-sopranos. Also mama who bore me is not for an alto.its for a mezzo or soprano
I kind of want to call in question the education of the author…
The song you posted from the producers… is actually for a Baritone/Low Tenor. The vocal range is A3 to Eb5… which if you want to be exact, is just slightly low/out of range for a tenor. I have ONE year of high school choir 10 years ago, and I could HEAR it.
We exist.
Stop perpetuating the stigma on the limitations our voices have.
Female
Sopranino (A3-)D4-C6(-F6)
Soprano (F#3-)B3-A5(-D6)
Treble (F3-)Bb3-Ab5(-Db6) (This voice type applies to children under about 11, primarily boys whose voices haven’t changed yet, although some people classify them as Sopranos, Altos, etc…)
Mezzo-Soprano (E3-)A3-G5(-C6)
Alto (D3-)G3-F5(-Bb5)
Contralto (C3-)F3-Eb5(-Ab5)
Male
Countertenor (Bb2-)Eb3-Db5(-F#5)
High Tenor (G#2-)C#3-B4(-E5)
Tenor (G2-)C3-Bb4(-Eb5)
Low Tenor (F2-)Bb2-Ab4(-Db5)
High Baritone (Eb2-)Ab2-F#4(-B4)
Baritone (D2-)G2-F4(-Bb4)
Bass-Baritone (C2-)F2-Eb4(-Ab4)
Bass (B1-)E2-D4(-G4)
Low Bass (F1-)Bb1-Ab3(-Db4)
Octavist (B0-)E1-D3(-G3)
Most of these songs are way over-used. Also tip for the audience, If you are auditioning for a certain musical, most directors don’t like it when you sing a song from that specific show. If you are trying out for a specific role, an example; Jasmine from Aladdin the Musical, (unless assigned) DO NOT SING “A Whole New World”. It would be craftier if you sang a song such as “Part of Your World” because the songs are very much similar and the two female roles (Jasmine and Ariel) have very similar vocal ranges.
By placing low notes next to the appropriate higher note we can achieve multiple harmonics.
guys anyone know where to get free sheet music
hey so im a low tenor (chest voice) but my falsettos are realy high i was thinking about fortune favors the brave but i just cant find a song i wanna sing in a baritone tone but go to high notes with tenor tone with my head voice what is the best song for me please help me??!!!?!?
im audtioning for Wicked what song should i sing? also audtioning for mary poppins whar song should i do for that?
“Maria” is a chancy option as an audition song. While it is a beautiful song and really shows off your range, it’s incredibly difficult to sight-read on piano (it’s got a lot of accidentals) and if you’re bringing sheet music to the audition, there’s a good chance that the piano player may not play it well. It happened to me. 🙁
I would recommend “In short” from ‘Edges’ if your looking for a more comedic role. The first part has a few high notes so I would only recommend it to sopranos and high altos.