Hi, shakespearegirl. 🙂
First off, I should say that I am not an actor or director/producer, so I do not necessarily know which monologues may be overdone. So there’s that. And without knowing you or your acting style/personality, it’s a little difficult to recommend a monologue that would fit you. But…
One that comes to mind is from Merry Wives of Windsor, where Mistress Page reads the letter from Falstaff.
http://www.backstage.com/monologues/william-shakespeare/merry-wives-of-windsor/723/
In general, you may want to take a look at Merry Wives of Windsor, because I think that may have some good options for Phoebe and/or Celia audition pieces. Possibly including this one:
http://www.backstage.com/monologues/william-shakespeare/merry-wives-of-windsor/724/
I would say both of those monologues are fairly well known, but I don’t particularly imagine them being overused in auditions.
The first option that came to mind particularly for Phoebe was actually Juliet’s balcony monologue, which has enormous comic potential, but that would probably fall under the category of overdone… 😉
Definitely don’t overlook comic moments in Shakespeare’s tragedies as you’re looking for a monologue, though. Juliet’s nurse has some great comic moments. Antony and Cleopatra may be a good play to look at for moments like that, too, but I can’t remember any specifically.
If it’s a slightly more informal audition or for a more informal production (community theater, school, etc.), you may even consider commandeering some lines from traditionally male roles like Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing or Falstaff in one of the plays where he makes an appearance.
Hope that is helpful! And good luck!
