by Peter Thomas Ricci<\/p>\n
The term \u201cNational Treasure\u201d is one of the more irritating cliches in the performing arts, yet it is entirely appropriate when applied to the luminous Audra McDonald. An absurdly talented singer and actress, McDonald has not only won more Tony awards (six!) than any other actor, but she is also the first person to win a Tony in all four acting categories. With similarly impressive achievements in television and film, her\u2019s is a talent that is both deep and wide.<\/p>\n
So suffice to say, expectations ran high high for McDonald\u2019s May 22 concert at Steppenwolf, although nobody in the theater\u2019s downstairs performing space was surprised that McDonald and host\/pianist Seth Rudetsky obliterated any expectations one may have had.<\/p>\n
Presented as part of Steppenwolf\u2019s LookOut Series, the concert was half Broadway revue, half Moth Radio Hour in how McDonald and Rudetsky conceived it. With nothing but Rudetsky\u2019s lively piano accompanying her, McDonald\u2019s soaring soprano covered some of the finest songs from her musical theatre repertoire, ranging from \u201cI Could Have Danced All Night\u201d from \u2018My Fair Lady,\u2019 to \u201cSummertime\u201d from \u2018Porgy and Bess,\u2019 to the astonishingly beautiful Adam Gwon song \u201cI\u2019ll Be Here.\u201d Additionally, McDonald\u2019s husband, the talented singer\/actor Will Swenson, joined the duo for a couple of numbers, including a rousing rendition of \u201cThe Pirate King\u201d from \u2018Pirates of Penzance.\u2019 But in the end, it was McDonald\u2019s show, and with each number, she reminded the audience of how truly special it is to watch a stage performer at the height of their powers. Her facial expressions, her gestures, the way her eyes swayed with the emotional timbre of each phrase \u2013 there\u2019s truly nothing like it, whether she was singing Kander\/Ebb or cheeky treatises on Craigslist.<\/p>\n
But amazingly, as captivating as McDonald\u2019s singing was \u2013 and clearly, I could go on and on with accolades about it \u2013 her conversations with Rudetsky were just as enjoyable, as they engaged in witty repartee about her fascinating adventures through the wide world of entertainment. For instance, there was McDonald\u2019s admission that her older daughter, at the ripe age of three, stated that McDonald\u2019s singing made her ears hurt; there was the time that McDonald brought her daughter to see her perform in \u2018Porgy and Bess\u2019 only to remember, shortly before taking the stage, that her character \u2013 a drug-addled prostitute \u2013 was not the best figure for her then-10-year-old to see; how as a precocious fourth grader in Fresno, California, she not only played a witch in \u2018Hansel and Gretel,\u2019 but also convinced her teacher to resurrect her character and allow her to sing \u201cMaybe This Time\u201d; or how her Juilliard training, while rigid and stifling, ultimately allowed her to develop her famed soprano voice.<\/p>\n
It was an enthralling, altogether wonderful evening with a masterful performer, and one can only hope that the rest of Steppenwolf\u2019s LookOut Series is of similar caliber.<\/p>\n