Audra McDonald & Will Swenson to Launch 'Broadway Concert Series' at Parker Playhouse, Today

Following their sold-out appearance last year, six-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald and Sirius XM satellite radio Broadway channel host Seth Rudetsky raise the stakes and the roof by returning to Parker Playhouse and bringing Tony Award-nominated Broadway singer Will Swenson with them.

The Broadway Concert Series at Parker Playhouse, produced by Mark Cortale, begins on Saturday, January 2 at 8 p.m. featuring McDonald, Swenson and Rudetsky in an evening of incredible singing, witty banter and intimate behind-the-scenes stories. McDonald and Swenson are one of show business's most talented married couples.

Broadway legend McDonald broke the record for the most Tony Award wins and became the first person to win in all four performance categories, taking home Broadway's top honor for her performances in Lady Day and Emerson's Bar & Grill, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, A Raisin in the Sun, Ragtime, Master Class and Carousel. McDonald's other accolades include two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, being named to the 2015 Time 100, Time magazine's list of the most influential people in the world.

On the concert stage, McDonald has sung with virtually every major American orchestra including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. She is familiar to TV audiences for her recurring roles on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ABC's Private Practice, numerous PBS specials and her critically acclaimed performance as the Mother Abbess in NBC's live telecast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music.

Swenson is best known for his Tony-nominated performance in Broadway's Hair and stellar performances in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and the revival of LES MISERABLES in the role of Javert. He also appeared on Broadway in 110 in the Shade, Lestat and Brooklyn. Off Broadway, he was a member of the original cast of Rock of Ages as well as Little Miss Sunshine, Murder Ballad, Adrift in Macao and Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Rudetsky has played piano for over a dozen Broadway shows including Ragtime, LES MISERABLES, and The Phantom of the Opera and is the man behind SethTV, his web-based entertainment network. As a comic, Rudetsky was awarded "Funniest Gay Male in NY" at Stand-Up NY and is a three-time Emmy nominee as a writer for The Rosie O'Donnell Show. He co-wrote and stars in the new musical Disaster! that will open on Broadway this February.

The Broadway Concert Series at Parker Playhouse, produced by Mark Cortale and curated by Rudetsky, continues on February 13 at 8 p.m. with comedic actress Lea DeLaria, famous for her standout role as "Big Boo" on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, with drag superstar Varla Jean Merman as the special guest host.

Tickets are $46.50 - $126.50. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center, Parker Playhouse and affiliated venues. Buy tickets online at www.BrowardCenter.org, www.ParkerPlayhouse.com, www.Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954-462-0222; in person at Ticketmaster outlets or the Broward Center's AutoNation Box Office. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Parker Playhouse box office Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Parker Playhouse, located in Holiday Park at 707 N.E. Eighth Street in Fort Lauderdale, is an affiliated venue of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which provides programming and management of the facility. All dates, times, programs, artists and ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

Pictured: Audra McDonald. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

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