Why I like acting better

Yesterday I auditioned for "Dirty Dancing". The audition went well. There were almost 400 people there. After they taught us a little cha-cha combination, we practiced it a few times and then performed it for the auditors. They asked maybe five from each group of 40 to stay and sing. At the end they explained that they were looking for a very specific type to fill some spots in the show. Ugh! Really? Do they say this to make us feel better? If they want a tall brunette why don't they just look at our pictures and type cast?

This is one thing I do not like about musical theater. You have to sing, dance, act AND look like the previous person that had role. I have seen Newsies on Broadway three times and the woman that plays Katherine always looks the same even though I know they have replaced the original actress. The potential people that can play most of the roles is SO limited! It makes getting a job even harder than it should be. Some of you might say straight acting is the same way but I disagree. Yes, directors have an idea of what they are looking for but I feel like there is greater flexibility for who can play the role.

The director of The Graduate was looking for a tall handsome, basketball player type to play the lead but then Dustin Hoffman auditioned. He did so well, the director through his ideal out the window and hired Hoffman. I know this can happen in musicals too but it seems less likely. With straight acting you can be yourself and really create a role, your interpretation of the role. In musicals I feel like I have to fit a certain type before I can even be considered for the role. Acting feels much more flexible and creative, there isn't a box I have to fit in. I just have to be myself in the circumstances that the character lives in. It is so much more open-ended.

The waiting room for Dirty Dancing audition. Not picture are the hundreds of people waiting in the hallway.