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I have compiled two different lists: one with specific musical theater songs that are generally used A LOT in auditions, and the other more general with lists of shows and composers that you should consider avoiding. If you find your song on one of these lists, it doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't use it. Just keep in mind that it will either probably be used by someone else at the same audition, or that the auditioning committee have probably heard that song way too often over the years. If you choose a song that is a little less popular, it is more likely that the panel will be able to pay attention to your individual singing and acting capabilities instead of comparing you to others or immediately dismissing you out of boredom.
In the list of shows and composers to avoid, keep in mind that some songs will be more overdone than others. For instance, in The Sound of Music, I would be more likely to audition with "I Have Confidence" than with "Sound of Music". If you are auditioning for a Sondheim show, it is perfectly reasonable to audition with another Sondheim song from a different musical in order to show that you can handle the difficulty of his music.
Also please keep in mind that inclusion on these lists does not reflect poorly on the song or show mentioned. Most of these songs are up here because they are very popular, not because people necessarily dislike them. A lot of these songs may be great to learn and perform in other settings, just not at auditions.
Please feel free to contact me and let me know if there are songs you feel should be added to or taken from this list.
Overdone Audition Songs
1. Adelaide's Lament from Guys and Dolls
2. All That Jazz from Chicago
3. Any "Signature Song" (song that one performer is very strongly identified with)
4. Any song from the show for which you are auditioning, unless specified on the audition notice
5. Big Spender from Sweet Charity
6. Broadway Baby, Follies
7. Can't Help Lovin'Dat Man from Show Boat
8. Castle on a Cloud from Les Miserables
9. Climbing Up Hill Last Five Years
10. Corner of the Sky from Pippin
11. Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Evita
12. Embraceable You
13. Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray
14. Hard Hearted Hannah, Follies
15. He Plays the Violin, 1776
16. Hero from Footloose
17. Hit Me With a Hot Note from Follies
18. I Can't Say No from Oklahoma!
19. I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady
20. I Don't Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar
21. I Enjoy Being A Girl from Flower Drum Song
22. I Get a Kick Out of You, Cole Porter
23. I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate
24. I Know Things Now from Into the Woods
25. I'm not that Girl from Wicked
26. If I Loved You, Carousel (possibly)
27. If I were a Bell, Guys and Dolls
28. Johnny One Note
29. Let's Hear It For The Boy from Footloose
30. Little Girls from Annie
31. Lonely Room
32. Maybe, Annie
33. Memory from Cats
34. Miss Bird
35. Much More from the Fantasticks
36. Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera
37. My New Philosophy, Charlie Brown
38. New York, New York
39. Nobody Does It Like Me, Seesaw
40. Not While I'm Around, Sweeney Todd
41. Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oklahoma
42. On my Own from Les Miserables
43. Over The Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz (this song belongs to Judy Garland)
44. Past is Another Land from Aida
45. Popular from Wicked
46. Purpose, Avenue Q
47. Ribbons Down My Back, Hello Dolly
48. Seasons of Love from Rent
49. Shy from Once Upon a Mattress
50. Some Enchanted Evening, from South Pacific
51. Someone Like You, Jekyll and Hyde
52. Someone to Watch over Me
53. Somewhere That's Green, Little Shop
54. Summertime from Porgy & Bess
55. Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Oklahoma
56. There are Worse Things I could do from Grease
57. They Call the Wind Mariah from Paint Your Wagon
58. This Nearly Was Mine, South Pacific
59. Tomorrow, Annie
60. Vanilla Ice Cream, She Loves Me
61. Wash That Man from South Pacific
62. What I Did For Love, A Chorus Line
63. Wizard and I from Wicked
64. Wouldn't it be Loverly from My Fair Lady
65. You Can Always Count on Me from City of Angels
Shows and Composers to Avoid
1. Aida
2. Annie
3. Any show that the company you are auditioning for has done in the last five years
4. Chorus Line
5. Evita
6. Fantastiks
7. Footloose
8. Grease
9. Jekyll & Hyde
10. Les Miserables
11. Little Shop of Horrors
12. My Fair Lady
13. Mystery of Edwin Drood
14. Phantom of the Opera
14. Rent
15. Scarlet Pimpernel
16. Secret Garden
17. Sondheim, Stephen - while Sondheim might sometimes be appropriate, keep in mind the extreme difficulty of the accompaniment on some of his songs, and choose accordingly
18. Sound of Music
19. Titanic
20. Webber, Andrew Lloyd
21. Whatever the "Hot New Musical" is
22. Wicked
Shows and composers that might soon (or already) be overdone: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Light in the Piazza, some Jason Robert Brown, and Spelling Bee. Also be wary of anything still on Broadway.
This list is meant to be used as a helpful reference as you are choosing your audition pieces. Ultimately, choosing the "perfect" audition song will only take you so far. If you have chosen a song that really shows off your singing and acting abilities, you should do well.
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