"Aida" is a musical that premiered on Broadway in 2000. With music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, it is an electric rock musical. "Aida" tells the story of the title character, a Nubian princess taken into slavery and made the handmaiden of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Amneris. "I Know The Truth" appears in Act II when Amneris overhears a conversation revealing her wedding to Radames, captain of the Egyptian army, to be fake. Amneris sings: "I try to blame it on fortune/Some kind of shift in a star/But I know the truth and it haunts me/it's flown just a little too far." The song is a good idea for song auditions because it allows you to express emotion in the sadness of the lyric. It is slower ballad and highlights a singer's strength in holding long notes.
"Avenue Q" premiered on Broadway on 2003 and become one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. It tells the story of several foul-mouthed puppets in New York City and is a homage to Sesame Street. Princeton, a college graduate, dates his neighbor Kate, a kindergarten teacher. Afraid of commitment, he ends up breaking up with her and asking to be friends. In response, Kate sings "There's a Fine, Fine Line" containing the lyrics "There's a fine, fine line between love and a waste of time." The song is one of sadness and strong will, allowing a singer to display several emotions in her performance.
"Oh, Kay!" is a Broadway musical that opened in 1926. Written by songwriting team George and Ira Gershwin, it is set during the Roaring Twenties and tells the love story of Lady Kay and Jimmy Winter. "Someone to Watch Over Me," sung by Kay alone on stage and clutching a hand doll, was one of the show's hits and became a standard, covered by legends like Ella Fitzgerald. It features the lyrics "There's somebody I'm longing to see/I hope that he/turns out to be/someone to watch over me." It is a good song to sing at auditions, as it calls for a jazzy inflection to the voice. Nailing it can help to show off the ability to hit and sustain challenging high notes.