BWW Spotlights LADY DAY Star Audra McDonald's Soaring Career
By: BWW Special Coverage Apr. 13, 2014
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In honor of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill's opening on Broadway tonight, BroadwayWorld decided to highlight Tony- and Drama Desk Award-winning actress Audra McDonald's body of work.
From her romantic and at times tragic roles in Rodgers and Hammerstein's CAROUSEL, as well as MARIE CHRISTINE, and 110 IN THE SHADE, to her operatic turn in MASTER CLASS, Audra's versatility is stunning. She continues to take on challenging and socially relevant parts, among them 'Sarah' in RAGTIME, 'Ruth Younger' in A RAISIN IN THE SUN, and 'Bess' in THE GERSHWIN'S PORGY AND BESS.
Now a five-time Tony-winning legend, Audra is stepping into the heels of another luminary as Billie Holiday in LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL.
Get a look at Audra onstage in LADY DAY here, scroll down to learn more about her career, watch songs and highlights, and be sure to let us know your favorite of her performances!
THE SECRET GARDEN
1991
Her Role: Ayah (replacement), Mary's Indian nurse.
CAROUSEL
1994
Her role: Carrie Pipperidge, A millworker and friend of Julie's, in love with Enoch Snow
Accolades: Tony Award (Best Featured Actress in a Musical), Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical), Theatre World Award.
1995
Her role: Sharon, a precocious Juilliard student who sudies with opera diva Maria Callas.
Accolades: Tony Award (Best Featured Actress in a Play)
RAGTIME
1998
Her role: Sarah, the mother of Coalhouse's child, who dies attempting to fight for his cause.
Accolades: Tony Award (Best Featured Actress in a Musical)
MARIE CHRISTINE
1999
Her role: Marie Christine L'Adrese, A New Orleans woman of the 1890s, who falls madly in love with a white ship captain, Dante, and becomes pregnant.
Accolades: Tony nomination (Best Actress in a Musical), Drama Desk nomination (Outstanding Actress in a Musical)
HENRY IV
2003
Her role: Lady Percy or Kate, Hotspur's wife and Mortimer's sister
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
2004
Her role: Ruth Younger, Walter's wife and Travis's mother. Her marriage to Walter has problems, but she hopes to rekindle their love.
Accolades: Tony Award (Best Featured Actress in a Play), Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play)
110 IN THE SHADE
2007
Her role: Lizzie Curry, a lonely girl in search of a husband in 1936 Texas.
Accolades: Tony nomination (Best Actress in a Musical), Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Actress in a Musical)
THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS
2012
Her role: Bess, an itinerant woman who is under the thrall of the dangerous Crown, and the sinewy drug dealer Sportin' Life.
Accolades: Tony Award (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical), Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Actress in a Musical)
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL
2014
Her role: BIllie Holiday, the music legend giving one of the last performances of her life.
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