By LeAnna Hamblin
The incomparable and award-winning Audra McDonald gives a stellar performance at The Noorda Center for Performing Arts at UVU in Orem, Utah. Her unparalleled career includes performances on Broadway with roles in Carousel, Terrence McNally’s Master Class, and Ragtime, winning her three Tony Awards before the age of 30. In 2004, she won her fourth Tony for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. Her fifth Tony was awarded in 2012 for her role in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. And in 2014, she won an unprecedented sixth Tony for her role of Billie Holliday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, making her “the Tony Awards’ most decorated performer.” Other honors include two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, being named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2015 and receiving a 2015 National Medal of Arts from President Barak Obama. McDonald, a product of the Julliard School, has a career that spans decades and the world.
In this intimate concert series, McDonald, along with music director and conductor Andy Einhorn, entertains her audience with selections from the great American musical songbook. This compilation of music includes selections from classic and familiar musicals such as Funny Girl, The Sound of Music, and Cabaret, to new, contemporary numbers from up and coming artists such as Jason Robert Brown, Zena Goldrich and Marcy Heisler, and Adam Gwon, a recipient of the Fred Ebb scholarship for musicians and lyricists. Throughout her performance, McDonald uses her versatile vocals and animated storytelling skills to weave together a fantastic tale. Each note she sings serves a purpose to her message.
Her storytelling begins with cabaret style pieces such as “I Am What I Am” and “Stars and the Moon.” The fast cadence and light-heartedness set the tone for a delightful evening full of personal stories of McDonald’s life and career. As a nine-year-old girl, McDonald knew that she wanted to be a Broadway actress. While attending performing arts schools in Fresno, California, she began entering and winning singing competitions. At the impressionable age of 13, McDonald entered and won her first solo competition with the jazz number “Coronet Man” from Funny Girl. From her youth, McDonald recounts lessons she learned along her pathway to fame. She learned to heed the advice of others, including songwriters and lyricist. The number “Baltimore” by Goldrich and Heisler taught McDonald to choose carefully who she loves. The song “Simple Little Things” from 110 in the Shade, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt taught her that simple dreams can be just as fulfilling as elaborate ones. It’s your perspective on life that brings you joy.
McDonald shares stories from her experience of being a mother. As her eldest daughter grew, she didn’t appreciate her mom’s talent as much as McDonald would have liked her to, saying McDonald’s voice “made her ears cry.” Now, taking the same chance with her youngest daughter, McDonald tells a story of trying to sing with her young daughter and her daughter closing the piano so McDonald would stop singing. These sweet anecdotes show the love McDonald finds in being a mother. Her rendition of “I Won’t Mind” from the unfinished musical The Other Franklin tells the story of a woman who is unable to bear her own children. This number portrays the joy of motherhood and haunting grief of motherhood lost. McDonald also emphasizes the influence of a parent on a child with the number “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. This selection reflects the passion McDonald has as an advocate for equal rights, LGBTQ causes, and underprivileged youth.
As this uplifting performance ends, McDonald shares her life mantra through music. The number “Make Someone Happy” from the 1961 musical Do Re Mi, perfectly describes the influence she wants to make through her music. Her final number, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music inspires the audience to follow their dreams and do it with love. She pleads to “hold on to your humanity and spread love in the world.”
Audra McDonald gives her audience at The Noorda Center for Performing Arts at UVU in Orem, Utah an evening filled with love and hope. Her talent is inspiring, helping others feel as if their own dreams are attainable. Her musical ability, along with the exquisite accompaniment from Einhorn, creates an uplifting experience. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I am so blessed to have experienced such inspirational artists such as McDonald and Einhorn.
The Noorda Center for Performing Arts at UVU presents Audra McDonald in concert.
The Noorda Center for Performing Arts at UVU, 800 W University Parkway, Orem, Utah 84058
October 7-8, 2019, 7:30 PM, Q&A Session, Tuesday, October 8, 5:00 PM
Tickets: $8-$75
Contact: 801-863-7529
The Noorda Center for the Performing Arts Website
The Noorda Center for the Performing Arts Facebook Page
Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald Facebook Page
Audra McDonald Twitter
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