Tony Award record-breaker Audra McDonald to light up the stage with 'Broadway Old and New'
Winner of a record six Tony Awards, along with two Grammy Awards, singer, actress, and Broadway sensation Audra McDonald will perform an evening of show tunes, popular standards, and original pieces written for her at 7:30 p.m. on May 1.
“Broadway Old and New,” presented by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
McDonald will be joined by music director and pianist Andy Einhorn, bassist Mark Vanderpoel, and drummer Gene Lewin for the performance.
McDonald is known for her breadth and versatility as both a singer and an actor. The gifted soprano is equally home on Broadway and opera stages as she is in roles for film and television. In addition to her theatrical work, she maintains a career as a concert and recording artist, regularly appearing on stages around the world.
Last year, McDonald made Broadway history, winning her sixth Tony Award for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grille.” In addition to having the most competitive wins by an actor, she also became the first person to receive awards in all four acting categories.
A year after graduating from the Julliard School with training in classical voice, she won her first Tony Award for best performance by a featured actress in a musical for “Carousel” at Lincoln Center Theater. McDonald has also won Tony Awards for her performances in “Master Class,” “Ragtime,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” and “Porgy and Bess.”
She made her Los Angeles Opera debut in 2007 starring alongside Patti LuPone in John Doyle’s production of Kurt Weill’s “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” The resulting recording won McDonald two Grammy Awards for best opera recording and best classical album.
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 received her first Emmy nomination for her performance in the HBO film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Wit,” directed by Mike Nichols and starring Emma Thompson, and earned a second nomination in 2008 when she reprised her Tony-winning role in “A Raisin in the Sun” for a television movie adaptation.
From 2007 to 2011, she played Dr. Naomi Bennett on the ABC medical drama, “Private Practice.” In 2013, her performance as the Mother Abbess in NBC’s live telecast of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” opposite Carrie Underwood as Maria was watched by an estimated 18.5 million people across America.
Prior to “Broadway Old and New,” students from Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts will perform musical theatre selections in the Moss Arts Center Grand Lobby beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $40-75 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 years old and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
