The Best Audition Songs for Follies – by Character
Do you have an upcoming audition for Follies? Well unless you have specifically been asked to sing a song from the show that you’re auditioning for, it’s generally best not to. That said, you should still show off similar vocals and personality. So here’s our list of audition songs for Follies, broken down by character.
Since Follies is a pre-contemporary musical, most of the following songs are from musicals between the 1970s-1990s as well. In addition there are lots of Sondheim songs below in order to match the style of the show.
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Step 1: Read your audition details
Please read your audition details carefully, as they sometimes specify the type of song they’d like to hear (a ballad, something uptempo, etc.). Make sure to select a song that’s appropriate for your specific casting call. Also, as you’re picking out a song, these links may be helpful:
• Backing Tracks for the Songs Below
• The “Follies Audition Songs” Spotify Playlist
Step 2: Get to know the show
In casting calls, they often ask for you to be “familiar with the show”. And even if it’s not requested, it’s generally assumed. One way to do this is to read through the synopsis while listening to the Follies cast album➝.
Step 3: Pick an audition song
Next, based on your personality and vocal type, decide whether you’d like to audition for the ensemble or a specific character. Just keep in mind that if you audition for a specific character, you still might not be chosen for that particular role.
There’s usually a spot on the audition form asking if you are open to being in the ensemble or accepting a different role. I would suggest ticking that box and taking whatever you are offered. Every role is important, and you will earn valuable experience in a show.
And on that same note, even if you audition for the ensemble (and not a specific character), there’s always a chance you might get chosen for a leading/supporting role!
To summarize, keep an open mind and try not to take the process too seriously. And when you’re ready, choose the song that you feel most comfortable with from the list below.
Benjamin Stone
“It’s In Your Hands Now” – Roadshow (Sondheim)
“Live Alone and Like It” – Putting It Together (Sondheim)
“Movies Were Movies” – Mack & Mabel
“No, Mary Ann” – The Thing of It Is (Sondheim)
Buddy Plummer
“I Won’t Send Roses” – Mack & Mabel
“Multitudes of Amys” – Company (Sondheim)
“Need to Know” – Weird Romance
“Not a Day Goes By” – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim)
Carlotta Campion
“I Wrote the Book” – Woman of the Year
“Say Yes” – 70, Girls, 70
“The Ladies Who Lunch” – Company (Sondheim)
“We Can Make It” – The Rink
Hattie Walker
“Cabaret” – Cabaret
“Everybody Wants to Do a Musical” – Nick & Nora
“Nobody Does It Like Me” – Seesaw
“Rookie in the Ring” – My Favorite Year
Heidi Schiller
“A Little Bit of Good” – Chicago
“I Never Do Anything Twice” – Side by Side by Sondheim (Sondheim)
“Love Makes Such Fools of Us All” – Barnum
“Nelson” – A Day in Hollywood, a Night in the Ukraine
Phyllis Rogers Stone
“Every Day a Little Death” – A Little Night Music (Sondheim)
“Like It Was” – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim)
“Send in the Clowns” – A Little Night Music (Sondheim)
“Where is the Warmth?” – The Baker’s Wife
Roscoe
“All I Care About” – Chicago
“Hundreds of Girls” – Mack & Mabel
“Razzle Dazzle” – Chicago
“Wonderful“ – Wicked
Sally Durant Plummer
“Goodbye for Now” – Reds (Sondheim/film)
“Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known” – Tell Me on a Sunday
“Tell Me on a Sunday” – Song and Dance
“Time Heals Everything” – Mack & Mabel
Solange La Fitte
“Bonjour Amour” – Grand Hotel
“Chanson” – The Baker’s Wife
“Storybook” – The Scarlet Pimpernel
“What You Need” – Grand Hotel
Ensemble (Altos)
“Liaisons” – A Little Night Music (Sondheim)
“My Big Mistake” – The Will Rogers Follies
“The Music and the Mirror” – A Chorus Line
Ensemble (Baritones)
“I Promise You a Happy Ending” – Mack & Mabel
“Old Friends” – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim)
“Our Time” – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim)
Ensemble (Basses)
“I Waltz Alone” – Grand Hotel
“It Wasn’t Meant to Happen” – Marry Me a Little (Sondheim)
“Marry Me” – The Rink
Ensemble (Contras)
“I Don’t Want to Know” – Dear World
“Living in the Shadows” – Victor/Victoria
“Meadowlark” – The Baker’s Wife
Psst… Here’s where you can find out your vocal type!
Ensemble (Mezzos)
“Colored Lights” – The Rink
“I Belong Here” –The Grand Tour
“West End Avenue” – The Magic Show
Ensemble (Sopranos)
“Happiness” – Passion (Sondheim/Solo Version)
“Melodie de Paris” – Phantom
“Simple” – Nine
Ensemble (Tenors)
“At the Grand Hotel” – Grand Hotel
“Good Thing Going” – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim)
“Larger Than Life” – My Favorite Year
Step 4: Select a monologue
If requested, here are a few audition monologues for Follies:
• “Actor!” in Audition Monologues for Young Men➝
• “Don’t Look at Me #1” in The Best Men’s Monologues from New Plays, 2019➝
• “I Don’t Want to Be an Actress➝” from Snakebit (Jenifer)
• “It’s Best➝” from Elsewhere➝
• “Where Is He?➝” from The Father Clock➝ (Flub)
Final Step: Prepare for your audition
After collecting your materials and getting familiar with the show, it’s time to move forward with the actual preparation. If you’re in need of some guidance on this step, you can always go through this FREE audition prep checklist!
Want more songs? Check out these DIY Rep Books for EVERY vocal type!
Follies Song List
Here’s a list of the musical numbers in Follies, along with which characters sing in each of them. Unless you have been asked to, do not choose from the below songs for your audition! The following is more intended to be used for character research purposes.
* That said, if you’ve specifically been asked to sing a song from the show, you can find the sheet music for the best possible audition songs below.
“Beautiful Girls” – Roscoe, Company
“Don’t Look at Me” – Sally, Ben
“Waiting for the Girls Upstairs” – Young Buddy/Buddy, Young Ben/Ben, Young Sally/Sally, Young Phyllis/Phyllis
“Rain on the Roof” – Emily, Theodore
“Ah, Paris!” – Solange
“Broadway Baby” – Hattie
“The Road You Didn’t Take” – Ben
“In Buddy’s Eyes” – Sally
“Who’s That Woman?” – Stella, Sally, Phyllis, Hattie, Emily, Solange
“I’m Still Here” – Carlotta
“Too Many Mornings” – Ben, Sally
“The Right Girl” – Buddy
“One More Kiss” – Heidi, Young Heidi
“Could I Leave You?” – Phyllis
“Loveland” – Company
“You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” / “Love Will See Us Through” – Young Ben, Young Phyllis, Young Buddy, Young Sally
“Buddy’s Blues” – Buddy
“Losing My Mind” – Sally
“The Story of Lucy and Jessie” – Phyllis, Ensemble
“Live, Laugh, Love” – Ben, Ensemble
“Chaos” – Ben, Company
“End of Show” – Company
Which of these audition songs for Follies did you choose?
And what role are you auditioning for? We would love to hear all about it in the comments! And in the meantime, you can check out our database of best audition songs for other musicals.
Need extra help? Just go through this free audition prep checklist!
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.