@theaterwork, I have no idea what was going through Gary’s head when he asked a song from Chicago. I mean, all MT kids probably know at least one song from Chicago…but mine had never ever SUNG a song from Chicago, let alone had the music for it. If he had asked for something from Next to Normal or Hair or Into the Woods or a million other shows, she could have given it a try…acapella, b/c she didn’t have the music with her. She didn’t have the music for any Chicago songs, and neither did he. And she didn’t know the lyrics. Maybe he wanted to see how she would react; or maybe he wanted to see if she could pull it off; or maybe he wanted to see if she could sing a totally different style than the song she offered. Who knows? But it happened. And even if she had said, “Sure! I don’t have the music but let me do a Chicago song acapella for you!” she wouldn’t have gotten in. The auditioners kept asking her, “Are you sure you don’t want to apply to our VP program?” so she knew it wasn’t a happening thing for MT. She was surprised at the Chicago question but took it in stride.
Anything can happen at these auditions, from being asked NO questions and getting in; to the auditors not even looking at you during the whole audition; to being asked to only sing the verbs in your audition song. Just tell your kid to relax, go in, and have fun. It’s a crap shoot. But they know what they’re looking for…they know it when they see it.