OK so I'm auditioning for "Into the Woods" tomorrow and will be singing "Moments In The Woods" because I'd like to play the Baker's Wife. (I know that typically it's bad to sing a song from the same show, but the director asked us to, or to choose any other Sondheim piece. I figured I know this one and sing it well; I'd rather not scramble to learn another Sondheim song and do it badly)

My question is, would it be a bad idea to sing the song in a key a half step lower?

I CAN sing the song fine in the original key, but I've discovered that if I lower it a tad, I sing it much stronger because the notes avoid the break between my head and chest voice...it sounds a lot smoother and I can get more volume.

Do you think it'll make a difference? Will the director take it as a bad thing, or do you think he'll even notice? Of course, if I get a callback I'll be singing it in whatever key they hand me, but I'm wondering if it's good to show off the strongest voice I can for the audition...

What do you guys think?

Since you are singing from the show and, should you be cast in the role you want, you will be required to sing the song in the higher key, I would advice against transposing it down for the audition. Even if the director doesn't notice, the accompanist/MD certainly would. If I was casting, I would think, "Why is she singing it in a lower key? It's probably because she doesn't think she can hit the notes well if she's nervous. So what's going to happen when she's nervous on opening night?"

If it was a song from another show, I'd say it's probably fine to transpose it to where it sits most comfortably in your voice because you're using the song to sell your best assets. However, singing from the show (while totally fine in your case, since the director has okayed it) also means you have to sell yourself as a certain character and stand out from others who will most likely be singing the same song, and I think making the song lower would do more harm than good.

Break a leg at your audition!

I agree with Brackynn for all the reasons she gave.

Now there are those who contend that in many cases the keys and/or voice parts for characters are arbitrary to a certain extent, and that lowering a song by a half-step isn't too big a deal. Proponents of this perspective usually cite that many voice parts are written specifically to the strengths of the role's originator. I think that's a separate debate to what we have here because I'm guessing, dramagrl, that the production for which you auditioned today is either a school production or a community theatre production. So in case you were hoping, for instance, that you could sing the role a half-step lower come showtime, they in all likelihood won't expend the effort to transpose the whole orchestra's music for particular songs to suit your voice better.

OK, I went ahead and auditioned with the song in the original key, just in case, and it turned out fine. I think the nerves actually HELPED me, because I was able to belt it out much better than I had at home that morning, and I was warmed up more.

So now just comes the waiting on a phone call part, to see if I get a callback or not! I hate the waiting....