<p>Hello there,
I am (in a couple of months) going to audition for a community production of RENT (school version) specifically for teens (which i am). I am a strong alto singer who can also sing soprano, and i would really like to audition for the role of Mimi. There is no monologue, so it has to be an expressive song so I am thinking something along the lines of “Without You.” Does anybody have any idea of a song similar in style?
Thanks all!</p>
<p>My personal Mimi favorite is" Out Tonight", if that is what it is called. I think to nail Mimi, you have to ba able to nail this song. But I am just an inexperienced mom and a theater viewer; I have no experience with the business end of MT.</p>
<p>Without You is not a good choice; it will not show off your voice. If you are going to sing something from the show, Out Tonight is a much better option.</p>
<p>I can’t sing a song from RENT for the audition…so i’m looking for a song as expressive as ‘without you’…</p>
<p>This does not pertain to a Musical Theatre major or college. HOWEVER… you may want to look into: By My Side from Godspell, Easy to Be Hard from Hair, I Don’t Know How to Love Him Jesus Christ Superstar, maybe something from Tick…Tick…Boom!</p>
<p>Good suggestions; you’ll want to stay in the pop/rock genre. Also check out Footloose for some good songs, and anything by Jason Robert Brown. Do be careful with JRB, however, as his songs are notoriously difficult for the pianist. I like “Still Hurting” from The Last Five Years – very expressive, and it’s one of the easier JRB songs to play.</p>
<p>Often when auditioning for Rent actual pop/ rock songs are acceptable, suggested, and/ or required. You do not necessarily need to sing a MT song for a Rent audition. A lot of 1980s/ early 1990s pop/rock could be appropriate.</p>
<p>Agree with Kat that when auditioning for a pop/rock musical, such as RENT, you don’t need to necessarily sing a pop/rock song that comes from a musical. I know my kid’s “book” (which she was adding to last week when she was home), is full of pop/rock songs that are not from musicals but are used for pop/rock musical auditions.</p>
<p>Kat is right. Actual auditions for Rent, since its beginnings, have specifically prohibited any MT songs being sung. I realize that that may not be the case now with a school-edition production. If you are allowed an MT song, perhaps something from Songs for a New World, AIDA, Footloose, possibly Miss Saigon or The Wild Party. The actors who I know who have been cast as Mimi professionally sang songs by singers as diverse as Pat Benatar, Alanis Morrisette, Bonnie Raitt, and Jewel. 
Break a leg!</p>