Audra McDonald is featured in the November 2024 issue of Vogue ahead of her debut as Rose in George C. Wolfe’s new production of Gypsy, set to begin previews on November 21 at Broadway’s renovated Majestic Theatre. The article profiles McDonald as she prepares to take on the iconic role.
Wolfe, the six-time Tony winner who directed McDonald onstage in Shuffle Along in 2016 and in the film Rustin last year, praises McDonald: “Audra is a living manifestation of talent and drive and ambition, and she exploded the box. This woman is determined to get at the truth of every character.”
Vogue Credits: Writer: Christopher Barnard Entertainment Editor: Keaton Bell Photographer: Luis Alberto Rodriguez Fashion Editor: Max Ortega Hair: Lacy Redway Makeup: Michaela Bosch Manicurist: Gina Edwards Tailor: Germania Fernandez Produced by: AP Studio Inc Set Design: Mary Howard Props: Hook Props Location: Hook Studios
On May 31, Audra McDonald joined Hoda & Jenna on TODAY to talk about her love of performing — and overcoming crippling stage fright that at one time had her fainting in front of audiences. She also opened up about joining the cast of “Gypsy” — which she calls “the greatest musical” — for its revival on Broadway. Says McDonald: “It’s a dream. It scares me to death.”
Audra McDonald – winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award, named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2015, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama – will star as Rose in a new Broadway production of Gypsy, taking on what is widely regarded as the greatest role in musical theater. The upcoming revival will be directed by legendary five-time Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe. Gypsy features a book by Tony Award winner Arthur Laurents, music by Tony and Academy Award winner Jule Styne, and lyrics by Tony, Grammy, Academy Award, and Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Sondheim. Producers are Tom Kirdahy, Mara Isaacs, Kevin Ryan, Diane Scott Carter, Peter May, and Thomas M. Neff. Choreography will be by four-time Tony Award nominated Camille A. Brown. Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.
Performances will begin November 21, 2024 at Broadway’s newly renovated Majestic Theatre, with an opening date of December 19, 2024. Watch a teaser trailer for the production below. Tickets go on sale May 30 via telecharge.com.
The New York Times declares that “Audra McDonald has become to the American theater what Meryl Streep is to film – a star of unstinting polish and versatility. Ms. McDonald embosses any production in which she appears with a good-value guarantee.” Gypsy reunites her with “titan of the American theatre” (New Yorker) George C. Wolfe, after their collaboration on the 2016 Tony-nominated production of Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921andAll That Followed.
Playing the role of Rose in Gypsy, McDonald joins an illustrious roster that includes some of the greatest performers in Broadway history. Since Ethel Merman starred in the 1959 Broadway premiere, the role has been played by Angela Lansbury in 1974, Tyne Daly in 1989, Bernadette Peters in 2003, and Patti LuPone in 2008. After the premiere, Kenneth Tynan raved in the New Yorker that the show “tapers off from perfection in the first act to mere brilliance in the second.” In 1974, Clive Barnes wrote in the New York Times: “Everything about Gypsy is right. The Jule Styne score has a lilt and a surprise to it. The music bounces out of the pit, assertive, confident, and cocky, and has a love affair with Stephen Sondheim’s elegantly paced, daringly phrased lyrics. And then there is the book by Arthur Laurents. Rose is possibly one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical.” Frank Rich’s 1989 New York Times review, calling the show “Broadway’s own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear,” added: “It cannot be done without a powerhouse performance in its marathon parental role.”
On May 17, Audra’s performance from the Palladium in London will air on PBS’s Great Performances. Audra is joined by the 40-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra led by musical director Andy Einhorn for a selection of career-defining Broadway classics, including “I Am What I Am,” “Summertime,” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”
Audra will also be featured on the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary celebration episode, which airs on May 31. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, the production features an all-star cast that includes Audra performing alongside Michael Ball, Daniel Dae Kim, Maria Friedman, Julian Ovenden and more, recorded at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Audra McDonald will be heading to Australia in May 2024 to perform concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Audra last toured Australia back in 2016, performing at the iconic Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. She’ll return to both of these venues, and make her debut performances in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Perth – May 4, 2024 at the Crown Theatre Perth Adelaide – May 8, 2024 at Her Majesty’s Theatre Sydney – May 11, 2024 at the Sydney Opera House Brisbane – May 15, 2024 at QPAC Concert Hall Melbourne – May 17, 2024 at Hamer Hall
Audra was awarded the 2024 Audie Award for Literary Fiction & Classics for her narration of Emily Wilson’s critically acclaimed new translation of “The Iliad.” Audible writes that in Audra’s “thrilling reading, this magical and often horrifying tale gallops at a pace befitting its legendary battle scenes.” Listen on Audible here.
