McDonald News

Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald returned for her 7th appearance with the Celebrity Series on Friday night at Symphony Hall. Accompanied by a virtuoso trio of Brian Hertz on piano, Mark Vanderpoel on bass, and Gene Lewin on drums, she held the audience in her sway for close to 100 sublime, uninterrupted minutes.

On this day in 2014, Audra McDonald returned to Broadway as legendary jazz singer, Billie Holiday, in the musical drama, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical Carousel, under the direction of three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien and choreography by Justin Peck, opens officially tonight!

Ooo,Baby, you better be nice to just everyone you meet...or you're gonna be sorry

Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) brings Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt, to San Francisco May 4 - 27 at the Children's Creativity Museum Theater, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and weekends at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Jason Robert Brown's concert at the London Palladium was a wonderful mix of familiar and new songs sung by Brown himself, Betsy Wolfe, Norm Lewis, and Rachel Tucker. Brown juggled multiple hats as singer, piano player, and at times conductor, but proved that storytelling is what he truly does best. He managed to create an almost intimate friendly atmosphere as he joked and talked to the crowd.

Recording sensation and VOICE contestant, WE MCDONALD, sang standards, pop, rock, and her own creations to a pack house of ardent fans and joyous guests at the Public Theater's cabaret, JOE's PUB.

A&E Network will premiere the original two-night 'Biography' documentary 'GOTTI: Godfather & Son,' which serves as the complete and definitive father and son story of two men who were raised in the mob and became the reigning king and heir apparent with John Gotti Jr. providing his most extensive on-camera interview to-date. The narrative spine of the documentary is never-before-seen segments from a 90-minute video of the last visit between a dying John Gotti Sr. and his son at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, MO. It was during this meeting that John Gotti Jr., asked his father for his blessing to take the unprecedented steps of quitting what might have been one of the last of the major mafia dynasties. This first-hand emotional account is provided by John Gotti Jr. himself and supported through unprecedented access to the people who lived it as well as through rare, personal photos from the Gotti family archive. The four-hour, two-part 'Biography' special 'GOTTI: Godfather & Son' will premiere on Saturday, June 9 at 10PM ET/PT and Sunday, June 10 at 9PM ET/PT on A&E.

Long Beach Opera (LBO) presents the West Coast Premiere of The Love Potion (Le Vin Herbe), with music by Frank Martin. LBO Artistic & General Director Andreas Mitisek directs and Benjamin Makino conducts. The libretto is by Joseph Bedier; the English language translation is by Hugh McDonald.

Berkeley Playhouse continues their tenth anniversary season of professional theater for family audiences with the East Bay premiere of the newly enhanced theatrical telling of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, featuring new songs from the Oscar® and Tony Award-winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul(Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Film: The Greatest Showman, La La Land), and book by award-winning playwright Timothy Allen McDonald (Jim Henson's Emmet Otter, Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley).

Lou Volpe, the retired theatre education pioneer, is being given the prestigious Bucks County Playhouse Hall of Fame Award, following such honorees as Angela Lansbury, Oscar Hammerstein and Shirley Jones.

Orlando Repertory Theatre (Orlando REP) is proud to present Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt (April 9 - May 13, 2018). This production is presented by the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC).

Amas Musical Theatre's (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy will present Jesus Christ Superstar, a Rock Opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.  The story is loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus's life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion. 

The Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award, a national new play contest at Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, is accepting submissions through April 30, 2018. The Grand Prize winner will receive $25,000 from Barrington Stage Company.

Young performers in North Texas and Oklahoma have waited all year with bated breath. After a year of 79 amazing performances from 75 participating high schools, industry professionals have finished judging for the 7th annual Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) High School Musical Theatre Awards (HSMTA), and the nominees are in!

The New Group has announced full casting and creative team for Lily Thorne's Peace for Mary Frances, with Heather Burns, Johanna Day, Natalie Gold, Mia Katigbak, Paul Lazar, Brian Miskell, Melle Powers and J. Smith-Cameron joining, as previously announced, Lois Smith in this world premiere production directed by Lila Neugebauer.

We'll be updating the list of nominees LIVE throughout this evening's Olivier Awards from London's Royal Albert Hall - winners are indicated IN BOLD!

The future sure is bright with these talented young performers!

This afternoon, Sweeney Todd star, Carolee Carmello, shared some behind the scenes photos from her upcoming guest appearance on the CBS drama, The Good Fight, starring fellow Broadway star, Audra McDonald. Check out photos from her visit to the set below!