Kathryn Vandervalk

The trick seems to be that she doesn’t feel it… or, at least, show it. For the musical's three hour runtime, McDonald is singularly focused on her character’s objectives — making her daughters vaudeville stars. She doesn’t merely play Rose; she embodies her. The vocals — which are, of course, rich and operatic and often jaw-dropping — feel utterly seamless with Rose’s way of expressing herself. Onstage, McDonald isn’t a Broadway diva, but a storyteller. This is why she’ll most likely break her own record in the spring as the most Tony-nominated performer of all time with what would be her 11th nod. To put it in Rose’s terms: She’s got it.