The second time my husband, Stephen, wears the Santa costume and acts as the main man, it's better. The costume is a little more legit; he's doing it for a new group; he has a better Santa chair, a better introduction (more suspense, more lead up, more fanfare....and he gets to ride in on a trackless train); and it's a monumentally hot year so Stephen rocks the sunglasses as he makes a big entrance- this goes over really well. 

Given that he played a major role in inspiring a whole generation of performers, I do find it surprising that not more people use Alan Menken's material for auditions. Maybe because it's looked down upon to audition with a Disney song? Perhaps. I'll be honest when I say I've heard more than a few groans from behind the table when someone says they'll be singing a song from Beauty & the Beast. 

But in my opinion, Menken's material isn't off limits. His songs, along with Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, highlight the voice nicely, allow for a fully acted performance and aren't terribly complex that an intermediate accompanist can't handle it. 

When I asked comedic actress Nonie Newton-Riley what it’s like to play the same role on tour across the United States for seventeen years, she responded that the steady gig is “a gift and a mitzvah.” Interesting choice of words for someone who has spent the better part of two decades portraying a nun. But as Newton-Riley is quick to point out “you don't have be to Catholic to have fun” at one of the eight “Catechism” shows she regularly performs in. “It doesn't matter if you grew up Jewish or Lutheran or whatever,” she says, “you get in that show and it taps into something familiar for everyone who grew up in the '50s and '60s. Everybody remembers getting in trouble at school or enjoyed watching someone else get in trouble.”