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Thursday, September 11, 2025
The Broadway Musical That Took Audra McDonald From Tragedy to Life-Changing Joy
Playbill: When bonafide Broadway legend Audra McDonald came to the Playbill Studio recently to look back on her life in the theatre, she reflected that a stack of her Playbills reminds her less of her time onstage than what was happening in her life behind the scenes.
2 comments:
Lauren Dursky
said...
Seeing things that make the stars seem more relatable is always so refreshing. It’s so easy to forget that they are human too and that the face they present to the public isn’t their entire being. It’s interesting to know that even people on Broadway don’t always see their playbills as reminders of their time onstage, but what was happening in their life offstage. I had gotten into the habit of tracking moments in my life based on what shows I was working on at the time. I can’t count how many times people would ask me about years and events that have gone by and I would say, “Oh, I was working on this show at the time.” “Theater heals” is such a relatable statement, during some of my worst moments I turned to my theater community they gave me the space to be, to work through my stuff, and a place to be distracted, if I needed it.
I have followed and loved Audra McDonald for a while now. I recently saw Gypsy which was my first time seeing her live and she is a force to be reckoned with. However, I do not know the show this article is about and I did not know that her father passed away while working on a show. I do think this is a great example of using theatre for healing but I do not think of every situation like this. I think because Audra McDonald is who she is and a trained professional she knew how to use it to heal and not harm her. I think a less experienced actor would have been unhealthy in using this show. I also wonder what the conversations looked like between the director and/or SM and McDonald. I applaud her for her ability to use this situation in a way that benefited her and I am grateful that it turned into such a beautiful experience.
2 comments:
Seeing things that make the stars seem more relatable is always so refreshing. It’s so easy to forget that they are human too and that the face they present to the public isn’t their entire being. It’s interesting to know that even people on Broadway don’t always see their playbills as reminders of their time onstage, but what was happening in their life offstage. I had gotten into the habit of tracking moments in my life based on what shows I was working on at the time. I can’t count how many times people would ask me about years and events that have gone by and I would say, “Oh, I was working on this show at the time.” “Theater heals” is such a relatable statement, during some of my worst moments I turned to my theater community they gave me the space to be, to work through my stuff, and a place to be distracted, if I needed it.
I have followed and loved Audra McDonald for a while now. I recently saw Gypsy which was my first time seeing her live and she is a force to be reckoned with. However, I do not know the show this article is about and I did not know that her father passed away while working on a show. I do think this is a great example of using theatre for healing but I do not think of every situation like this. I think because Audra McDonald is who she is and a trained professional she knew how to use it to heal and not harm her. I think a less experienced actor would have been unhealthy in using this show. I also wonder what the conversations looked like between the director and/or SM and McDonald. I applaud her for her ability to use this situation in a way that benefited her and I am grateful that it turned into such a beautiful experience.
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