Audra McDonald to Return To Provincetown With Seth Rudetsky in May

Six-time Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald will return to Provincetown with SiriusXM Radio star Seth Rudetsky as music director and host, this Memorial Day Weekend, on Sunday, May 26th at 8:30 PM for the Broadway @ Town Hall series! The show comes direct from their critically acclaimed performance at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in late March of this year. The unique format of this show that differentiates it from any other is a seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories prompted by Rudetsky's insightful, funny and revealing questions - and the music from McDonald's legendary career. 

Last month Mark Cortale also announced a star-studded music and comedy season for the summer of 2024: in addition to Audra McDonald and Seth Rudetsky, Mr. Cortale will also present Indigo Girls, Jinkx Monsoon, Bianca Del Rio, Marilyn Maye, HBO's Gilded Age Stars Denée Benton & Claybourne Elder all to perform at Provincetown Town Hall this Summer, plus: Broadway Stars Cheyenne Jackson & Melissa Errico, will perform at Provincetown Theater. For Tickets information on all of these artists, visit https://ptowntownhall.com/.  

Audra McDonald

is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy, in 2015 she was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people and received the National Medal of Arts—America's highest honor for achievement in the field—from President Barack Obama. In addition to her Tony-winning performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill—the role that also served as the vehicle for her Olivier Award nominated 2017 debut in London's West End—she has appeared on Broadway in The Secret Garden; Marie Christine (Tony nomination); Henry IV; 110 in the Shade (Tony nomination); Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Tony nomination); and Ohio State Murders (Tony nomination). On television, she was seen by millions as the Mother Abbess in NBC's The Sound of Music Live!, won an Emmy Award for her role as host of PBS's Live From Lincoln Center, and received Emmy nominations for Wit, A Raisin in the Sun and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. Having played Dr. Naomi Bennett on Shonda Rhimes's Private Practice (ABC) and Liz Reddick (formerly Lawrence) on both The Good Wife (CBS) and The Good Fight (Paramount+), she may now be seen as Dorothy Scott on Julian Fellowes's The Gilded Age (HBO). On film, she has appeared in Seven Servants, The Object of My Affection, Cradle Will Rock, It Runs in the Family, The Best Thief in the World, She Got Problems, Rampart, Ricki and the Flash, Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast, the movie-musical Hello Again, Cinergistik's documentary Whitney Houston In Focus, the Obamas' Higher Ground Productions' Rustin and MGM's Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. McDonald is a Juilliard-trained soprano, whose opera credits include La voix humaine and Send at Houston Grand Opera, and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Los Angeles Opera, where the resulting recording earned her two Grammy Awards. She has issued five solo albums on the Nonesuch label as well as Sing Happy with the New York Philharmonic on Decca Gold. She also maintains a major career as a concert artist, regularly appearing on the great stages of the world and with leading international orchestras. She is a founding member of Black Theatre United, board member of Covenant House International, and prominent advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, whose favorite roles are those performed offstage, as an activist, wife to actor Will Swenson, and mother.

Seth Rudetsky

A few days after Broadway shut down in 2020, Seth and his husband James Wesley Jackson started hosting the livestream Stars In The House which raises money for The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund). They've had reunions of Broadway shows like A Chorus Line, Ragtime andThe Producers (with Nathan, Matthew and Mel!) and TV shows like “Grey's Anatomy”, “Taxi” and “E.R.” (with GeorgeClooney). So far they've raised over $1.1 million dollars and recently celebrated their three year anniversary of the show. Before that, Seth spent many years on Broadway as a pianist and conductor as well as two years as a comedy writer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show (three Emmy nominations with his co-writers). He is now the afternoon deejay on the SiriusXM Broadway channel as well as the host of Seth Speaks. He's performed his show, Deconstructing Broadway in London, Boston (Irne award) and L.A. (with Barbra Streisand in the audience!). He co-wrote and co-starred in Disaster! (NY Times critics' pick) on Broadway which was licensed by Music Theater International and is being performed around the country. He's written the books Seth's Broadway Diary Volume 1 and 2 (Dress Circle publishing) and has also authored two young adult novels; “My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan” and “The Rise And Fall Of A Theater Geek” (Random House) and, of course, “Musical Theatre For Dummies.” Seth and James co-produced the “What The World Needs Now Is Love” recording with Broadway Records (number one on iTunes) featuring amazing singers like Idina Menzel, Audra MacDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda and so many more to help the victims and families of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting. He and James also produce and host the yearly “Voices For The Voiceless” concert to benefit You Gotta Believe which helps older foster kids find families (stars have included Tina Fey and Jessie Mueller) as well as producing/hosting 13 Concert For America benefits which help non-profits like National Immigration Law Center and NAACP (stars have included Audra McDonald and Chita Rivera). James and Seth run “Seth's Big Fat Broadway Cruise” which brings Broadway stars and Broadway lovers together to fabulous destinations! You can learn more about Seth's Cruises and watch his videos at SethRudetsky.com.  

Mark Cortale

most recently produced the critically acclaimed new musical Days of Wine and Roses with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, book by Craig Lucas and directed by Michael Greif - which opened on Broadway on January 28th at Studio 54. He produced the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominated Off-Broadway musical Midnight At The Never Get by Mark Sonnenblick. He recently celebrated his twelfth and final season as Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown where he presented artists that included Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Jessie Mueller, Christine Ebersole and Megan Mullally. In 2020, he founded the developmental theatre lab New Works Provincetown. In conjunction with producing partners Jonathan Murray and Harvey Reese, Mark has commissioned five works to date including the following shows currently in development: Maiden Voyage with book and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Carmel Dean, Beautiful Little Fool with book by Mona Mansour and music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau, Love Is Strange, with book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé and lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Daniel Messé and Table 17 by Douglas Lyons. Follow him @cortalemark

Summer 2024's Town Hall series, produced by Mark Cortale at Provincetown's largest venue, will once again raise funds for Sandy Hook Promise.

The 2024 Town Hall and Provincetown Theater season produced by Mark Cortale is sponsored by: Brasswood Inn, Gabriel's Provincetown Hotel, Ptown Bikes, Fanizzi's Restaurant, Provincetown Gym, Snip Salon.

Purchase the 2024 SEASON PASS for all shows at Town Hall and Provincetown Theater BY MAY 26th and save $400.00! Buy now and cut to the front of the line with a reserved seat of your choice. Just show up 5 minutes before the performance and enjoy the show. All seats are guaranteed to be in the front of the VIP section. Seat are chosen by each patron before the season begins on a first come first serve basis. More information can be found at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6256455. 

Photo credit: Sachyn Mital

To post a comment, you must register and login.