A Cappella Rush

[Low C Sharp]

In the morning, I go to check the callback lists. No Quinns. No Trents. Only Jane Lanes.

I feel sick to my stomach. Even though I already knew about the Quinns, and even though the Trents weren't exactly a shock, to me it seems obvious that I will be cut by the Jane Lanes after tonight. Meaning, if you blow it at 2/3 of the groups in one night (the first night they get a good look at you), then obviously you're going to fall from one to zero eventually. So it seemed to me that morning, anyway.

The callback list instructs me to download a Jane Lane CD track from their web site and practice the solo for the callback. This was pretty state-of-the-art back in the 90's, and it reinforced my impression that the group had its act together. Also, one of the solo options is "Destination Anywhere," a song I know I can sound good on.

The audition is terrific; it's basically like a Jane Lanes rehearsal. Auditionees learn background parts on another song, and we sing it in octets while the Jane Lanes judge us on blend, pitch, and control. It is so much fun to learn a vocal part in isolation and then hear a Sting song magically rise from the group when you sing your parts together. The director, a handsome junior tenor, has the group in hand, but in a cool way -- he's not bossy, he just makes you feel like you can trust his leadership.

There is a lot of down time while other auditionees are doing their octets and solos, and I make friends with Marc, a sophomore bass who's auditioning for the second year in a row. He's adorable, and we can almost read each other's minds. He helps me avoid this socially freaky auditionee who keeps clinging to me and braying in my ear every time I sit down. It makes me feel better that Marc's nervous too; he turns bright red every time it's his turn.

The Jane Lanes announce that they don't know how many people they will take, or on which parts, but I assume that they just don't want to tell us. Tonight, there are only five or six other altos, so I can size up the competition pretty well. Courtney is similar to me vocally, but she also writes music, which I can't do. Judith is just better than me. Period. She can do everything I can do, but with more power, a wider range, and ridiculous confidence. Both of them were called back by the Trents. The socially freaky girl is also an alto; if you close your eyes, she sounds great, but her stage presence is so awkward that it's intolerable to actually watch her sing. Imagine Ella Fitzgerald's voice coming out of a white Urkel, complete with hiked-up pants ad hunched shoulders. Courtney and Judith are the only ones I'm worried about.

At the end of the night, the Jane Lanes "thank us" for our hard work by performing a song we haven't heard them do before. It's sexy, and it's funny, and it's musically rock solid, and I feel a weird mix of ecstasy and torture when I watch them. I knew I was interested; I didn't know I would feel such a longing to be a part of this group! They tell us the final callback sheet wil be up tomorrow morning by 9.

I go back to my dorm telling myself that this was great fun, and I went much further in the process than I ever dreamed I would, so I should be really satisfied with the experience overall. I keep telling myself this, and I actually manage to get to sleep.
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[dgdramadawg]

Fingers crossed!!!

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

The socially freaky girl is also an alto; if you close your eyes, she sounds great, but her stage presence is so awkward that it's intolerable to actually watch her sing. Imagine Ella Fitzgerald's voice coming out of a white Urkel, complete with hiked-up pants ad hunched shoulders.

HAHAHAHA!!!!!!! H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!! Did she really look like that????? I'm laughing my butt off here!!!!

[LOVEinZTA]

Can I just say that I've fallen in love with this thread? I grew up doing musicals and love hearing all of the audition tidbits!

[alum]

This is really terrible but all I can think of is that "Will and Grace" episode when special guest Matt Damon and Jack are competing for a spot in a chorus.

[AlwaysSAI]

I wish you would post more! AND, I MEAN, LIKE NOW!

Hurry, hurry! I can't wait!

[Leslie Anne]

I'm loving this thread. It's absolutely fascinating!!! Crossing my fingers for Jane Lane.

[Low C Sharp]

In the morning I go to check the Jane Lanes final callback list with my stomach in knots. The list of eight or nine women includes Courtney, Judith, and me!! Marc is coming back, too. We have to download and sing a much more challenging solo that's a little out of my range.

I check the Trents list, and they have Courtney and Judith back. I fixate on this fact; it's the only thing that makes me feel hopeful. I know that their hallmates must be making a fuss over the legend, the power, and the glory that is the Trents just like mine were...

I walk into the Jane Lanes' final callback that night and gasp; the group members are in long black dresses and black tuxedos, and they look like they were born to wear them. One 6'3" blond bass resembles Jeff Gordon, and when I see him in his tux, my knees go weak. He looks like the living personification of Bromwell University as imagined by Ralph Lauren. (This guy is in fact on full scholarship, from a tiny rural town, and the first member of his family to go to college, but I didn't know that.)

A lovely brunette alto comes up to greet me and takes me over to the gift table, where there's a goodie bag printed with my name and a "Jane Lanes Final Callbacks" logo. The bag contains candy and a Jane Lanes CD, which looks like the genuine article you'd buy at Borders. Now Lovely Brunette and Registration Girl are smiling and chatting with me, but I can't get any words out. I decide to joke about how they've picked all my favorite candies, and as I'm gesturing with a Pixie Stick, it snaps in half and sprays pink sugar all over the maroon carpet and Registration Girl's velvet skirt. They laugh about it, but I just want to hide behind the sofa.

I see Judith, but not Courtney, and I ask what happened to her. It develops that Courtney came by after the Trents callback to inform the Jane Lanes that she was dropping out of their process; she wants the Trents or nothing. I think that Courtney is insane, but I'm thrilled to hear it anyway. I sit down with Marc, but all I'm really doing, with every fiber of my being, is sending Judith telepathic messages to pref (choose) the Trents. I don't actually believe in telepathy, but I figure that it can't hurt, and I send her laser-beam messages every time I see her all night: "Judith, pref the Trents! Judith, pref the Trents!"

The final skills challenge is to learn background for a difficult, beautiful vocal jazz piece, and then sing your part in a quartet with three Jane Lanes on the other parts; the members will judge whether this is distinguishable from a quartet of all Jane Lanes. I love this part.

To my surprise, before we get to the solos, the Jane Lanes ask everyone to sit in a circle, and they break out champagne flutes and champagne (and sparkling cider). We sip champagne as they tell us we are celebrating the fact that everyone in the room could be a Jane Lane; after tonight, they will be cutting people based on the ideal size and balance of the group. All the Jane Lanes and auditionees get a chance to say their names, hometowns, favorite flavors of ice cream (again), and share something about ourselves; Jane Lane members use that time to explain why this group is so dear to them and why they love each other so much. At the end, they say that the hard part is over, so let's go "sing to each other" (aka the solos). This is really sweet and touching, and I'm almost in tears.

When I get up to sing my solo, I am silently focusing on whether I should try to belt the top notes of this song -- which could crack when I'm this nervous -- or take the safe route and sing them in falsetto. I haven't mentioned this dilemma to anyone, but as I'm passing Lovely Brunette on the way to the front of the room, she grabs my shoulder for a second and whispers "Belt it!" Wha...am I telepathic after all? I belt, and I don't crack.

It's finally over, and the Jane Lanes tell us that they will call each of us tonight as soon as they make a decision, one way or the other, but that deliberations sometimes take many hours. They line up by the door to thank us and say goodbye. One bass says to me, "Good job, Low C Sharp, all week!"

I don't remember walking back to my dorm. I know that I took my phone into bed with me and lay awake feeling stomach cramps, chills, and a pounding heart. I tell myself that I should be grateful that I got to be a Jane Lane for a week, but I'm not fooling myself; knowing how much I love them just makes it harder. Hours pass and I feel each minute ticking by, wide awake...
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