Audra McDonald : NPR

The Musical That Ushered In The Jazz Age Gets Its Own Musical

Audra McDonald in rehearsal for the upcoming musical Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. Devin Alberda/Rinaldi PR hide caption

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Devin Alberda/Rinaldi PR

The Musical That Ushered In The Jazz Age Gets Its Own Musical

March 19, 2016 • Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed tells the story of an overlooked smash hit created and performed by African-Americans.

The Musical That Ushered In The Jazz Age Gets Its Own Musical

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Audra McDonald, A Broadway Star Gone Roaming, Comes Home

Audra McDonald's new album, Go Back Home, marks a return to her roots in musical theater. Autumn de Wilde/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Autumn de Wilde/Courtesy of the artist

Audra McDonald, A Broadway Star Gone Roaming, Comes Home

May 18, 2013 • After extended jaunts in TV and on the road, McDonald's first new album in seven years marks a return to her roots in musical theater.

Audra McDonald, A Broadway Star Gone Roaming, Comes Home

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Online Love: An Audra McDonald Double Bill

February 15, 2008 • Starring in a one-woman double bill, Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald plays two women, both looking for love by remote control, in Send by Michael John LaChiusa, and The Human Voice by Francis Poulenc. From Houston Grand Opera.

Houston Grand Opera on World of Opera - 'Audra McDonald Double Bill'

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Audra McDonald in Concert

February 23, 2007 • Four time Tony Award-winning performer Audra McDonald brings her luminous, lyrical soprano and impeccable acting skills to this concert, featuring works from her new CD Build a Bridge. The show includes songs written by Rufus Wainwright and John Mayer.

McDonald: 'What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?'

December 29, 2006 • On New Year's Eve, singer Audra McDonald will ask and answer a question at the same time, by singing "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" with the New York Philharmonic. In this video segment, Performance Today host Fred Child talks with McDonald about her last concert of 2006.

Audra McDonald: A 'Theater Geek' Turns to Pop

September 23, 2006 • Audra McDonald is a bona-fide Broadway star and a well-regarded recording artist whose albums have featured American popular standards and newer musical theater. But her new album takes her in a different direction.

Audra McDonald: A 'Theater Geek' Turns to Pop

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Audra McDonald, Stepping Up to Opera

March 19, 2006 • Tony-winner Audra McDonald, a classically trained singer, is taking on two solo operas. She sings Francis Poulenc's La Voix Humaine in Houston, along with a debut work. Both have a common theme.

Audra McDonald, Stepping Up to Opera

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Audra McDonald's Lincoln Center Spotlight

January 5, 2005 • Four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald has starred on Broadway with a soprano voice that draws comparisons to Barbara Streisand. As she opens the seventh season of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, she talks about the joys of being onstage.

Audra McDonald's Lincoln Center Spotlight

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Audra McDonald's 'Happy Songs'

October 22, 2002 • Tony-winner Audra McDonald talks about her new album, Happy Songs. It's a departure from the more serious material she's taken on in the past. She interprets lesser-known songs from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, by composers such as Harold Arlen and Duke Ellington.

Audra McDonald's 'Happy Songs'

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Audra McDonald

July 4, 2000 • At 29, Audra McDonald is a Broadway star. She's won three Tony Awards, and her new CD mixes songs from well-known composers such as Harold Arlen and Irving Berlin with a new crop, including Adam Guettel and Michael John LaChuisa. The CD is called How Glory Goes.

Audra McDonald

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Real Media

Why 'Edelweiss' Makes Audra McDonald Think Of Home

Audra McDonald is nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. She tells All Things Considered about the song that started her on her theater journey. Michael Wilson hide caption

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Michael Wilson

Mom And Dad's Record Collection

Why 'Edelweiss' Makes Audra McDonald Think Of Home

May 29, 2012 • What song did you discover through your parents when you were growing up? For Broadway's Porgy and Bess star, a music box changed her world.

Why 'Edelweiss' Makes Audra McDonald Think Of Home

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Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway

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Michael Wilson/Courtesy of Nonesuch Records

Theater

Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway

Fresh Air

May 15, 2012 • The actress is nominated for her fifth Tony Award for the Broadway musical Porgy and Bess. "There's very few quiet moments for Bess," she says. "They're all very big, very emotional. ... And to commit to that night after night after night is very difficult."

Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway

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Michael Wilson/Courtesy of Nonesuch Records

Wisdom Watch

Audra McDonald: Say Yes To Yourself

September 29, 2011 • Audra McDonald has been dazzling audiences for more than a decade with her stunning soprano voice. She has won Grammy and Tony awards, and has starred in stage classics and the TV drama Private Practice. She's now part of a controversial new interpretation of Gershwin's American opera, Porgy & Bess. She speaks with Michel Martin about her latest show and upcoming concert tour.

Audra McDonald: Say Yes To Yourself

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'Porgy And Bess': Messing With A Classic

Audra McDonald (left) and Norm Lewis play the title characters in a new and controversial take on Porgy and Bess. Michael J. Lutch/Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater hide caption

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Michael J. Lutch/Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater

Music Interviews

'Porgy And Bess': Messing With A Classic

August 20, 2011 • A new production of the classic Gershwin opera takes a surprisingly story-driven approach.

'Porgy And Bess': Messing With A Classic

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Concerts

Audra McDonald

July 10, 2004 • Tony Award winner Audra McDonald debuts her new song cycle, "The Seven Deadly Sins," and sings a few of her favorites from the American popular songbook live on stage at Carnegie's Zankel Hall.

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59:47

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