Stephen Purdy is a prolific West End and Broadway vocal and audition coach. Knowing how to choose a song for audition is tricky, trying to second-guess how a panel may judge you. This guide, then, takes us through the historical context of the genre, song selection, preparation, and presentation, a section on collaboration and body language, and other advice – even how to promote yourself well on the internet and on social media platforms.
There are plenty of suggestions of musicals to look at, songs to choose according to your type and how to make your choices contrast. One of the most enlightening sections is a dialogue between the author and one of his students. This reminded me of An Actor Prepares, where Stanislavski fictionalises a conversation between the training actor and director, with the actor making our mistakes and asking our questions.
At times it's a little over-complicated. One chapter begins ‘It's possible that no other step towards delivering a song to performance-level readiness can be as puzzling and clouded with conjecture and subjectivity as the initial step, that of choosing it to begin with.’ Or…‘Choosing a song is hard’!
Having said that, it gives detail where needed, and is a welcome aid to confidence stepping into one of the most competitive and challenging sections of the industry.