The Closet Soprano

I've always enjoyed musical theatre. I find there is something very magical about them. While I do understand why people like Darcy dislike them (his excuse being why break into song for 5 minutes to explain something you could have said in 2 lines), I still relish any opportunity to see one. Musical theatre is also very hard and physically demanding. You quite often have to be a Triple Threat (actor, singer dancer) and singing while dancing is tough (which is probably why so many of today's pop stars with their intricate dance routines tend to lipsync ... hacks all of them!).

A few years ago, I was in the chorus of a musical called Sweeney Todd. While it wasn't the greatest of shows, I did have a ton of fun! Since I had been getting kinda bored with strait theatre. I figured it was time I expended my horizons to musical theatre. There was just one problem. While I am confident in a Theatre audition setting, singing auditions scare the crap out of me. I remember going to an audition for The Rocky Horror Picture Show a year or two ago and singing All That Jazz from Chicago. Now, I know that song like the back of my hand, but as soon as I was in that room, I did the unthinkable. I froze! The accompanist was really nice. He kept playing the same part over and over until I got it, but I knew it was already too late. I blew it. The funny part was that this was in front of the same director for Sweeney Todd. Man, I thought she must think so little of me at the time. Of course that was all in my head, but still.

Anyway, since my old director, Lisa Bishop, was going to be doing a very cheap (as in price not quality) vocal workshop at Carleton University, I decided to sign up for it. It's three workshops over three Thursdays. The first one being last night.
Man, was it ever good! We talked a lot at the beginning about terms like soprano, alto, tenor, ect. and what they meant. No one in the room knew what their range was so that is something that we will find out in the coming weeks. I mentioned how at my audition for Sweeney Todd she had called me a Closet Soprano. That basically means that I can sing the high notes, but I don't because I'm more comfortable (or confident) in the Alto range. And it's true. I'm scared shitless of those high notes. She also mentioned something that I had not known before. She said when she first heard me speak, she thought I was an Alto. But when I sang she found that I had a very strong and powerful voice with a lot of range. However I wasn't fully taking control of that range. Wow! She saw all that? And here I was scared of my voice.

I'm really looking forward now to continuing these workshops and maybe, finally, coming out of the closet.

;)