Audra Ann McDonald made her Broadway debut in the original production of The Secret Garden as a replacement for Ayah. She followed up with her Tony-winning turn as Carrie Pipperidge in the 1994 Revival of Carousel. Audra would go on to win 3 Tonys by age 28. She won her 4th Tony in 2004 (at age 34), putting her in the same company as 2 other 4-time Tony Winning actresses, Gwen Verdon and Mary Martin. The interesting thing to note is that 2 of her Tonys were for plays: Master Class and A Raisin in the Sun. Ragtime was her other win, for a role which was originally written to be a much smaller part. But upon casting Audra, and realizing how amazing she was, the role of Sarah was greatly increased. Other Broadway roles of note: Lizzy Curry in the 2007 Revival of 110 in the Shade (Tony Nomination) and the title role in Marie Christine (Tony Nomination).
Audra also has a successful concert career. Having been trained at Julliard, she is a very versatile singer. Several of her concerts have aired on PBS as part of their Great Performances series. She also has recorded several albums.
Audra can be seen in several films, most notably the 1999 TV version of the musical Annie, as Grace Farrell. She also reprised her role as Ruth Younger in the 2008 TV version of A Raisin in the Sun, which reunited most of the cast from the Broadway run. Audra can be seen currently as Dr. Naomi Bennett on the ABC drama Private Practice.
Audra has a 9 year old daughter, Zoe, with her ex-husband, musician Peter Donovan.
Homework: Watch the following video:
And then watch this video:
Then watch the TV versions of Annie (1999) and A Raisin in the Sun (2008). And listen to the cast recordings of Carousel (1994) and 110 in the Shade (2007). And all of her solo recordings.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audra_McDonald
http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=52250
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0567653/
Up Next: Lesson 2: Patti LuPone (by Prof. Jordan Roberts)
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