Audition Song Suggestions for Something Rotten! the Musical – by Character
Written by Leryn Turlington
August 25, 2020
God, I hate Shakespeare… but I love Something Rotten! Let Performer Stuff’s expert musical theatre audition song coaches find your perfect audition song for the musical theatre knockout Something Rotten! Our recommendations come with links to purchase sheet music or an audition cut found on PerformerStuff.com. For further study, we provide links to listen to audition songs on both Youtube and a Spotify playlist. Break a leg with your audition for Something Rotten! the musical. Be sure to let us know if the audition song worked for you!
Audition song suggestions for the character William Shakespeare (tenor)
The rockstar of the Renaissance! Everything about The Bard is stylish, swoon-worthy, and not-so-subtly boastful. His ego is as big and shiny as his wardrobe, and he has no problem taking from others to add to his success. If not already a dancer, this actor should be comfortable learning a tap battle with Nick Bottom.
“Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones
Audition song suggestions for the character Nick Bottom (baritone)
Nick Bottom is an aspiring writer, director, and playwright begrudgingly caught on the heels of his contemporary, William Shakespeare. While his wife Beatrice is equally as ambitious, Bottom is fueled by a strong desire to provide for her and find his own success and recognition. He is aided and foiled by his much gentler younger brother, Nigel.
“Betrayed” from The Producers
Audition song suggestions for the character Nigel Bottom (tenor)
Nigel is the heart and poetry behind the Bottom brothers who relies heavily on Nick and Beatrice to ground him. He is younger, gentler, and coming into his own. In the beginning of the play, he idolizes Shakespeare (who has stolen some of his best lines), but while pursuing his love interest, Portia, and crafting his autobiographical play, he begins to take a stand for his art and his future.
“Two Nobodies in New York” from title of show
Audition song suggestions for the character Beatrice (mezzo)
Beatrice, or “Bea,” is Nick Bottom’s wife and equal. Responding to the gender conventions of the time, she goes out of her way to prove her usefulness by dressing up as a man to take a job as laborer. She loves Nick fiercely and never thinks less of him for not providing for them because she would rather think of their marriage as a team effort. She is in every way as independent and ambitious as him, and should probably have her own musical, too.
“I’m Your Man” from Meet John Doe
Audition song suggestions for the character Portia (soprano)
Portia is a young Puritan woman who encounters Nigel in town one day. With long golden hair and modest dress, she emanates innocence and holiness. However, she reveals a rebellious streak that obsesses over all things Shakespeare, poetry, and theatre just like Nigel. Her father, Brother Jeremiah, is destructively conservative, which turns her love of the arts into a guilty secret that she gleefully shares with her new love interest. She is central to his growing confidence and identity as a playwright.
“Inside Out” from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Audition song suggestions for the character Thomas Nostradamus (baritone)
Nostradamus is the local soothsayer who frequently elaborates predictions to make them as fiscally advantageous for himself as possible. Despite his oddities and slight deceptions, he does root for NIck and Nigel and claims that their musical will spearhead a new age of theatre. This actor has the challenge of leading a 7-minute production number, “A Musical.”
“We Can Do It” from The Producers
Audition song suggestions for the character Brother Jeremiah (baritone)
A staunchly conservative Puritan, Brother Jeremiah goes to great lengths to keep his daughter Portia free of blasphemy and the profane influence of theatre and poetry. His efforts are curious, however, because of two reasons: he seems to have an incredible talent for sexual innuendos and she remains a furtive poetry fanatic. This actor carries one of the brightest torches of comedy in this play.
“The Smell of Rebellion” from Matilda
Audition song suggestions for the character Minstrel (tenor)
This actor doubles as the Emcee and featured ensemble member. He charismatically opens the first and second acts in song.
“Monte Carlo” from Lucky Stiff
Audition song suggestions for the Ensemble Characters (all vocal types)
Townspeople, actors in Shakespeare and Bottom’s troupes, Lord Clapham, Shylock, chorus, and others.
Audition song suggestions for a Soprano:
“Mr. Robert Martin” from Emma
Audition song suggestions for a Baritone:
“There Is Life Outside Your Apartment” from Avenue Q
“C’est Moi” from Camelot
Listen to a Spotify playlist of audition songs for the musical Something Rotten! here:
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