Audra McDonald performing across New Jersey
Audra McDonald is like a human shark. The eclectic entertainer is in constant motion. McDonald, 44, has starred in an array of Broadway musicals and dramas. McDonald is a recording artist, who is also a television actress. McDonald scored acclaim for her work on the ABC drama “Private Practice.”
That’s laudable in its own right but McDonald has taken performance to another echelon. The Berlin, Germany native, who grew up in California, is an icon on the Great White Way.
McDonald has won six competitive Tony Awards, which is more than any other actor and she is the only other actor to win in all four acting categories.
“I have a pretty hard time comprehending it,” McDonald admitted while calling from Germany. “When you’re in a show, your mind is on the show and you’re living another life on stage. Then the Tonys come, it happens, and then it’s gone. But when I accumulate it all, it feels like a big, fantastic blur. The biggest memories I have of the Tonys are the emotions of how it all felt. And at the end of it, you still have to go on with your daily life.”
When McDonald, who has won Tonys for her work in such productions as “Carousel,” “Ragtime” and “Master Class,” is taking a break from Broadway to tour. McDonald, who portrayed Billie Holiday in the play “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” last year, will perform Friday at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, Sunday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and May 8 at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood.
“It will be a mix,” McDonald said. “I'll be performing a few fan favorites, some songs from my most recent release on Nonesuch, ‘Go Back Home,’ and several new songs that I recently added to my repertoire. There should definitely be something for everyone.”
The striking, classically trained soprano knocks it out of the park throughout “Go Back Home” by making such familiar fare as “Edelweiss” (from “The Sound of Music”) and “The Glamorous Life” (from “A Little Night Music”) her own.
McDonald is looking forward to the change touring provides.
“It can be exhausting, but very refreshing,” McDonald said. “Sometimes on a concert tour I can roll into a city grumpy and tired, but then I get on stage and the audiences cheer me up. I have a good time. I really enjoy concerts because they keep you honest as a performer. When you’re doing a concert, there’s no place to hide. No characters, no costumes. It’s just you, the audience and the material.”
McDonald won rave reviews for her portrayal of the legendary Holiday.
“I was initially nervous to play Billie Holiday because she is such a historic character and there is so much video and audio of her,” McDonald said. “She’s famous for her voice and iconic sound. My biggest challenge was making sure that no part of my voice made its way onto the stage, so it was really rewarding when I found her voice.”
The humble McDonald has arguably the most malleable voice along the Great White Way but she downplays her gifts.
“I come from a really musical family and everybody in my family sings,” McDonald said. “So, I don’t remember not singing. It’s funny though because I seriously don’t have the most remarkable voice in my family. There are major singers in my family, gorgeous voices. Maybe I’m the one who decided to do it professionally, but my voice isn’t all that special if you compare it to all the other voices in my family.”
That’s hard to believe considering all of McDonald’s accomplishments. What’s truly remarkable is that McDonald has achieved a career’s worth of honors at midlife. McDonald, who is perhaps the most in-demand Broadway performer, is excited about her future.
“There is still so much more to do,” McDonald said. “I’m constantly striving to get better. If you don’t strive to get better, I think you die. As far as singing is concerned, your body is constantly changing. You carry that instrument with you wherever you go, so your voice is constantly changing. So, it’s a constant grind. It’s a constant discipline to keep it going. It’s one day at a time, but you can’t possibly rest on your laurels and think you know everything you need to know.
Rumor has it that McDonald will star opposite Oprah Winfrey for “ ’night, Mother.” “I would be extremely honored and thrilled to star in anything with Oprah Winfrey,” McDonald said.
Look for McDonald, who sang at Joan Rivers’ funeral, on the small screen.
“HBO recently recorded ‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill’ at New Orleans’ Café Brasil for a television special that is scheduled to air later this year,” McDonald says. “I am excited for people across the country to get a chance to see Lanie Robertson’s beautiful play.”
AUDRA MCDONALD
WHEN: 8 tonight
WHERE: McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton
TICKETS: $52
INFO: 609-258-2787,www.mccarter.org
ALSO
WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark
TICKETS: $55, $69 and $79.
INFO: 888-466-5722, www.njpac.org
AND
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, May 8
WHERE: The Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 N. Van Brunt St., Englewood
TICKETS: $55, $75 and $125
INFO: 201-227-1030, www.bergenpac.org