Review: AUDRA McDONALD with the Minnesota Orchestra

Any evening spent listening to the world-class Minnesota Orchestra is an evening well spent, but when you add in a legendary talent like singer, actress and (record-breaking) six-time Tony Award, two-time Grammy Award and Emmy Award-winning Audra McDonald, you get a rare evening of witnessing genius at work. McDonald, a soprano trained at the Julliard School, is a voice to be reckoned with but adding to that talent she is also a passionate advocate for many social causes who uses her music to subtly remind listeners of important truths. Sometimes not so subtly.

"Love is love is love is love," she said near concert end. "Take care of our children."

This is not the only statement of hers over the hour-and-a-half concert where she wove in songs that alone are gentle reminders of values she holds dear. According to her official biography at audramcdonald.net, her interests in equal rights, LGBTQ causes, and underprivileged youth, and support of many groups have yielded several equality awards including another on June 18 from Covenant House International: their prestigious Beacon of Hope Award for her dedication to raising awareness and advocating for homeless youth. In fact, her Twitter handle, @AudraEqualityMc, and use of the social media platform are dedicated to sharing information about them.

However, this was a concert above all else and her music took top billing, if somewhat topical, and educational. She opened by stating she was covering the "Great American Musical Theatre Songbook," and when the Orchestra Hall crowd cheered this news, she mentioned surprise that people might have thought she'd do anything else, such as country music? Don't be silly. "That's not who I am," she said.

Leading with "I Am What I Am," from Jerry Herman's LA CAGES AUX FOLLES, just as on her May 2018-released CD, "Sing Happy" with the New York Philharmonic opens, her set list Friday evening was nearly identical to the the disc, which is great way to re-live the show for us fans; or re-create it for you audibly if you missed out. Seeing her sing the songs live, however, cannot be fully appreciated without seeing her effortless delivery and control of the material. And experience the fun rapport she has with the audience.

McDonald quizzed the crowd on the composers, titles and shows from the first numbers, and after the first crowd slip-up when she started, "Lerner and..." and the crowd shouted back, "Loewe!" She said, "Come on, Minnesota, you can do this!" and she corrected "Lerner and Lane" as she sang, "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever."

The crowd redeemed itself to McDonald later in the performance when she invited them to sing along to "I Could've Danced All Night," from MY FAIR LADY because "it's too popular," and she admitted she had resisted singing it for years but finally relented to "get her 'Soprano Card.'" (Later she admitted there's not really a "Soprano card" as if we weren't sure.)

"That's the most robust any audience has sang it," she said. "I was about to get competitive with you!"

She told stories and gave facts about the composers of many of the numbers featured in her 19-song set. From the "most covered song in history," "Summertime," from PORGY AND BESS, which won McDonald her fifth of the six Tony Awards (and first as leading actress), to how she attended Julliard with the featured Minnesota Orchestra trumpet player on "Cornet Man" from FUNNY GIRL, she personalized many of the numbers. She also paid tribute to the singer she said she learned the most about concertizing from, the late Barbara Cook, who died earlier this year, with "Chain of Love," from GRASS HARP, a 1970s "flop" based on a play by Truman Capote. And later she covered, Cook's "Vanilla Ice Cream" from SHE LOVES ME. "I'll never be over losing her," she said.

Two songs in one stood out as poignant and timely in addition to being artfully arranged and sung. "You've Got to be Carefully Taught," from SOUTH PACIFIC and "Children Will Listen" from Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS combined for another lesson for the night in both musicality and current events.

In a rare moment she strayed from musical theatre to pop with, "Facebook Song" by Australian songwriter and opera singer Kate Miller Heidke, including a few choice words. McDonald prefaced the piece with, "Sometimes in raw, emotional, difficult moments, only four-letter words will do."

Audience members were delighted with most of the concert (let's be honest -- what's not to love?), but particular numbers stood out to get the biggest reactions, including "Facebook Song," and McDonald's more traditional "Stars and the Moon," by Jason Robert Brown (a personal favorite of mine), "Being Alive," from Sondheim's COMPANY and Jule Styne's "Make Someone Happy."

McDonald thanked the incredible musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, whom she played with last in September 2015. The versatile orchestra flawlessly executed and matched every number with McDonald's energy. The white-coated musicians were joined by McDonald's regular band, a trio of piano, bass and drums, and lead by Eric Stern.

One newer number with current relevance and a really nice piece of songwriting by 2008 Fred Ebb Award Winner Adam Gwon from his ORDINARY DAYS, "I'll Be Here," was touching and unexpected.

Finale song, "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," from her NBC-TV live musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC brought everyone to their feet (and some to tears), and she waited for the applause to quiet as she said, "We have so much more in common than not. Please hold onto your humanity."

Returning to stage immediately for an encore, McDonald finished with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and concluded with a final statement: "Dream big, love big."

This performer has a heart as big as her voice.

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Audra McDonald, soprano

Audra McDonald, winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, as well as two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award, received a 2015 National Medal of Arts and was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people that year. Her Tony-winning performances came in productions of Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. On television, she is known for roles in ABC's Private Practice and NBC's The Sound of Music Live!, and she won an Emmy as the official host of PBS' Live From Lincoln Center. She recently joined the cast of CBS All Access' The Good Fight for its second season, and released a new solo album, Sing Happy, recorded live with the New York Philharmonic for Decca Gold. More: audramcdonald.net.

The Minnesota Orchestra season continues the annual Sommerfest performances and on July 21, will celebrate the International Day of Music, a free event from noon to midnight with 18 artists on three stages.

Subscription packages and individual tickets can be purchased online at minnesotaorchestra.org, or by calling 612-371-5656 (612-371-5642 for subscriptions) or 800-292-4141. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Orchestra Hall Box Office, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and beginning two hours before all ticketed performances); and at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office, International Centre, 5th floor, 920 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). For more information, call 612-371-5656, or visit minnesotaorchestra.org. For subscriptions, call 612-371-5642 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org/subscribe. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.

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Photos: Audra McDonald, courtesy of Minnesota Orchestra.

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