TV Special: 2012 Tony Nominees - Audra McDonald on How She Almost Passed on PORGY AND BESS & More!

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BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tony Brunch on May 2, 2012, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season.  We begin with Audra McDonald, nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

A four-time Tony Award winner, Audra McDonald earned three Tony Awards by the age of 28 — for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime. She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance in Marie Christine before she won her fourth in 2004 for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. She reprised her Raisin role for a 2008 television adaptation, earning her a second Emmy Award nomination. Her first Emmy nod came in 2001 for her performance in HBOs Wit. Fans of the small screen also regognize McDonald from her work on ABC's Private Practice.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012. 

Click here for the complete list of nominations! Click here for the nominations by the numbers. 

Video filmed and Edited by Jonathan Frank