McDonald News

It's not every day that Audra McDonald stands twenty feet in front of you and says, 'Tonight, we are all a part of history.' Then again, it's not every day that music history gets made in Orlando - real-deal, textbook-worthy history - so when it does happen, I reckon Audra McDonald is as eager to be a part of it as anyone else...

Dallas Theater Center, in collaboration with Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts and AT&T Performing Arts Center, announced the highly anticipated title of the 2022 Public Works Dallas production, The Odyssey.

New York City Children's Theater (NYCCT) - will host its second free live stream of their MEET THE PARENT series hosted by Broadway actress (and mom) ANIKA LARSEN with guests AUDRA MCDONALD and ANN HARADA.

Audra McDonald has been awarded a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy, receiving a National Medal of Arts and named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2015. A Juilliard-trained soprano, McDonald maintains a major career as a Grammy-winning recording and concert artist.

Last night, Skeleton Crew opened on Broadway. Check out all of the reviews in our roundup! Plus, Sharon Sachs will take over the role of Madame Morrible in Wicked, beginning performances on February 14, 2022.

This legitimate Broadway Baby and veteran of TV and Film makes her solo debut at Broadway’s living room. Sharon will share showbiz stories and soar through a stellar musical journey of her career, singing songs from her roles in Caroline, or Change; Jekyll and Hyde; Dreamgirls; Rent; and The Wiz; as well as some of her original tunes. 

The 21C Music Festival continues with the return of Canadian violinist Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, the superb all-female string ensemble featuring some of Canada's best musicians, on February 25 with a program titled Elle – 25th Anniversary Concert.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Ben Chavez in “Walk Don't Run: Songs From the Road” on Thursday, February 3. Back from a year touring with Disney's Aladdin, Ben Chavez makes his Feinstein's/54 Below solo concert debut with this night of music celebration.

Casting has been announced for the West Coast premiere of playwright Jeremy O. Harris' unflinching new work “Slave Play” coming to Los Angeles at the Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum February 9 through March 13, 2022, opening February 16, 2022.

Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris, Denée Benton o Christine Baranski son algunos de los nombres del reparto.

The cast also includes Denée Benton, Carrie Coon, Michael Cerveris, Claybourne Elder, Linda Emond, Katie Finneran, Bill Irwin, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O'Hara, Patrick Page, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, and John Douglas Thompson. Watch the new interview now!

Continuing with the celebration of the opening of Dr. Phillips Center’s Steinmetz Hall will be the professional world premiere of Duke Ellington’s BLACK, BROWN AND BEIGE, a piece that first played at Carnegie Hall in 1943 and was created to “provide a more accurate accounting of African American history written for the first time by a member of his race.” Critically panned simply because it was ahead of its time, Ellington never performed it in its entirety again. This version of the piece, which was commissioned by G. Schirmer, Inc. through Ellington’s son Mercer in 1987 is arranged and orchestrated by music scholar and former Ellington bandmate Randall Keith Horton. I caught up with Mr. Horton to learn more about this piece, why it is so important (and appropriate for the Steinmetz opening celebration) and what audiences can expect from this performance.

Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett will reunite as husband and wife, but this time on stage in the acclaimed World Premiere touring stage production of the Peter James best-selling novel “LOOKING GOOD DEAD”, which opens at Glasgow Theatre Royal this week.

PLAYLAB THEATRE turns 50 this year and on this milestone they celebrate and reflect their rich history, whilst looking towards an exciting future! Founded in 1972 as the Queensland Playwrights Laboratory, then Playlab INC and now Playlab Theatre, they have spent 50 years championing new Australian works that interrogate Australian society through excellence in text-based theatre.

BroadwayWorld sat down with Tony-nominee Denée Benton and Louisa Jacobson ahead of the series premiere to discuss their characters' friendship, what sets The Gilded Age apart from other period dramas, and working with the all-star cast, including Christina Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, and more. 

Signature Theatre has announced that works by local playwrights Aeneas Sagar Hemphill, Tuyet Thi Pham and Olivia Luzquinos have been selected for the 2022 season of SigWorks: Monday Night New Play Readings. Their plays, Ada (Aeneas Sagar Hemphill), Dinner and Cake (Tuyet Thi Pham) and Damn Things Will Kill Ya (Olivia Luzquinos) will be read on February 7, March 7 and May 9, respectively.

As we enter a new year which looks to offer similar challenges for the arts industry as the one before, Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre are proud to continue to invest in high-quality, inspiring  dance, theatre, music and comedy production for the people of Dundee and beyond.

This one-of-a-kind celebration will honor the arts of the Caribbean and Latin America and will showcase a broad range of artistic creations across various mediums by both local and international artists like Boukman Eksperyans, Gio Betta, Willie Stewart, and more.

Today's top stories include a confirmed Broadway production of The Kite Runner. The stage adaptation of the book will play July 6 through October 30, 2022 at the Hayes Theatre. Plus, the full casting and dates have been announced for the Broadway premiere of A Strange Loop. 

Today, the full list of nominees for the “53rd NAACP Image Awards” were announced. Nominees included Ariana DeBose, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto, Cynthia Erivo, Audra McDonald, Respect, Taraji P. Henson, Tituss Burgess, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Porter, Denzel Washington, and more. Check out the full list of nominees now!