The Best Audition Songs for Follies – By Character
When considering audition songs for Follies, it’s fitting to choose a song in the style of Sondheim from musical theatre repertoire that aligns with the tone of the show and suits your vocal type. Always refer to the audition notice for specific guidelines.
Because Follies premiered in 1971, the audition songs below are drawn from musicals between the 1970s and 1990s. Each one has been carefully hand-picked and reviewed to ensure it matches the show’s style.
Step 1: Review Audition Info
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.
Step 2: Study the Show
Before auditioning, you should get familiar with the show, and listening to the cast album is a great way to do that. Here’s where you can learn more about Follies.
Step 3: Pick an Audition Song
Before choosing a song, find your voice type and range using the Vocal Guide.
Based on your personality and vocal type, decide whether to audition for the ensemble or a specific character. Whatever you choose, try to stay open to other casting possibilities.
When you’re ready, choose a song from below that best fits your voice and style.
Audition Songs for Follies
🎶 Need more audition song ideas? Build your audition book with a DIY Rep Book for your voice type: 200+ songs with ranges, tempos, and listening links. Or explore thousands of songs, monologues, and the Character Studio in the Theatre Trip Repertoire Studio→
Benjamin Stone
“Fear No More” – The Frogs
“Live Alone and Like It” – Putting It Together
“Movies Were Movies” – Mack & Mabel
“Putting It Together” – Sunday in the Park with George
Buddy Plummer
“Good Thing Going” – Merrily We Roll Along
“I Won’t Send Roses” – Mack & Mabel
“Multitudes of Amys” – Company
“Need to Know” – Weird Romance
Carlotta Campion
“I Wrote the Book” – Woman of the Year
“Say Yes” – 70, Girls, 70
“The Ladies Who Lunch” – Company
“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
“Love Makes Such Fools of Us All” – Barnum
“Melodie de Paris” – Phantom
“Nelson” – A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine
Phyllis Rogers Stone
“Every Day a Little Death” – A Little Night Music
“Like It Was” – Merrily We Roll Along
“Send in the Clowns” – A Little Night Musi
“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
“Children and Art” – Sunday in the Park with George
“Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known” – Tell Me on a Sunday
“Tell Me on a Sunday” – Tell Me on a Sunday
“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
🎭 Are you never quite sure which roles to audition for? Take our free Casting Archetype Quiz to see if you’re a villain, ingénue, hero, romantic, or a type that’s even more unique!
Ensemble (Altos)
“Liaisons” – A Little Night Music
“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
“It Wasn’t Meant to Happen” – Marry Me a Little
“Our Time” – Merrily We Roll Along
Ensemble (Basses)
“I Waltz Alone” – Grand Hotel
“Old Friends” – Merrily We Roll Along
“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
Ensemble (Mezzo-Sopranos)
“Autumn” – Starting Here, Starting Now
“Colored Lights” – The Rink
“I Belong Here” -The Grand Tour
Ensemble (Sopranos)
“A Call From the Vatican” – Nine
“Happiness” – Passion
“Soon” – A Little Night Music
Ensemble (Tenors)
“At the Grand Hotel” – Grand Hotel
“Larger Than Life” – My Favorite Year
“Not a Day Goes By” – Merrily We Roll Along
Step 4: Select a Monologue
If requested, here are a few audition monologues for Follies:
• “Doing It For Me” from A Chorus Line
• “Good Films” from Speed-the-Plow
• “Insularity of Passion” from The Real Thing
• “Twelve Floperoos” from Dames at Sea
• “Voracity of Love” from The Real Thing
Step 5: Get Your Free Audition Prep Tools
Choosing the right song is just the beginning! Strong preparation helps you walk into the room with confidence and ready to show what you can do.
Get Theatre Trip’s free audition prep resources, including:
☑ Your Audition Prep Checklist
☑ Printable Audition Stamp Cards
☑ Updates when new audition tools are added
Grab your free resources on Patreon→
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! This 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, Company
“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
“Live, Laugh, Love” – Ben, Ensemble
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip and the author of The Thespian’s Bucket List. She is also the creator of The Cast Album List. Her background includes a BA in Theatre, a TESOL Drama certificate, and professional experience in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
