Broadway Does Boy Bands: A Cabaret

AUDITIONS OPEN FOR

Performance: May 22 at 8 PM*

Broadway Does Boy Bands is an upbeat cabaret-style performance tailor made for Macon during social distancing. Presented outdoors on our industrial fire-escape stage off of Mulberry Street, The Grand will blend Broadway-inspired vocal stylings with the eclectic atmosphere of an intimate lounge show in downtown Macon.
IT’S GONNA BE MAY: The campy revue will bring you back to your adolescence, with dreamy pop and R&B hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Jump around and sing along with the hits of the baby-faced superstars of yesteryear and today with a Broadway twist. We’ll make you nostalgic for the time that all you needed to fall in love was a multipart harmony, matching outfits, and fancy footwork.

*Rain Date May 23

WHAT TO PREPARE

Please prepare about 16 bars of two contrasting songs from a boy band group either a cappella or using a backing track to be considered for the show. Creativity, humor and adding some Broadway flair is encouraged in interpreting and re-interpreting your song, and song selection is not limited by gender. Please note that not all submissions will be accepted into the show. We have a list of boy band suggestions below that we are considering if you’re unsure of what to sing. It’s easy with this theme to look up karaoke backing tracks online or sheet music to help you in your preparation.

Of course, we do also welcome other songs/ideas if you have an original one that fits with the theme. Feel free to have as much fun in your audition video as you can – these can be fresh, campy, funny interpretations of these songs!

If you need help with audition material, please email us or message us on Facebook with questions.

SUGGESTED SONGS LIST:

Hansen is a controversial topic but we will entertain submissions if you have a particularly Broadway MMMBop 😉

HOW TO SUBMIT

Auditions will all be submitted virtually for the health and safety of our performers. There are two easy ways to submit your audition video:

  1. Transfer the file to us directly. Fill out the audition form here and upload your file. Please note there is a 1 GB upload limit. If your file is larger, use the option below or contact us by email for more instructions.
  2. Or upload to a streaming site like YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc. and send the link to Julia via email here or by private message on our Facebook page.

Please submit your audition by May 7th at the latest. With any questions about video submission or about the production, please feel free to reach out to Julia at rubens_ja@mercer.edu – she will be happy to talk through getting the video audition to us.

COMMITMENT FOR THE SHOW

Once you create your virtual audition, we should be in touch by May 7th with more information. If selected for the cast:

  1. We will confirm your show material and with the music director so you will be able to begin practicing your song(s) on your own.
  2. You will have two rehearsals scheduled at your convenience with the music director at The Grand Opera House: One on May 19 and one on May 20. These dates are flexible if you need to rehearse on a different day.
  3. The show is May 22 at 8 PM, and there will be a brief technical rehearsal on our outdoor stage on the day of the performance.
  4. Please be available on the rain date of the performance, May 23, as well in case of inclement weather.

WHAT WILL THE CABARET BE LIKE?

Well, the cabaret atmosphere is a little hard to describe… but a few words that might help would be a relaxed, bawdy variety performance. Oftentimes, cabaret is used as a stripped-down version of American musical theatre, where talented vocalists show off a few songs in pared-down staging.

Here are some highlights from the first fire escape cabaret we performed:

 

Our outdoor cabarets are trying to do “Broadway versions” of popular music as well as show tunes giving a more “Glee” feel and enhanced acting choices to your favorite songs. All musical numbers will absolutely be rehearsed and performed in a socially distanced manner, with a single vocalist on stage at a time and sanitation procedures in place between each song.

Here are some examples of cabaret staging that turns pop music into a Broadway-style performance:

Thank You by Boyz II Men

What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction