Audra McDonald.
I first saw Audra McDonald in the t.v. movie Annie, and when I learned she was a 4-time Tony Award winner, I started following her career and she has only become more and more famous and awesome. Now that she's on Private Practice a lot more people know her name, but it bothers me that she never sings on that show (that, and the fact that I cannot stand Addison Montgomery are the reason I stopped watching last year).
Well, she and Utah local-turned-Broadway-darling Will Swenson, decided to help Will's brother with a fund-raiser for Will's brother's theatre, the Hale Centre Theatre Orem in Orem, Utah. For two weeks both appeared as the two leads in 110 in the Shade -- which they both performed on Broadway a few years ago.
The tickets were quite expensive, so I decided that this was something I could live without. And then, serendipity struck. I was fooling around on Facebook one night, and saw that one of my friends had purchased tickets at an extreme discount because of a Groupon deal. She encouraged everyone to check it out ASAP because the deal ended at midnight. I checked my clock, and it was 11:51pm. I made a hasty decision and bought two groupons at $45 each -- about a third of the actual price. Not long after, I called the theatre and booked the actual ticket.
I invited my mom to come with me, because she is pretty much my favorite person to do things like this with. She's not really a theatre person, but she IS an artist, and I knew she would love this show (I was right, BTW).
Our tickets were for today's matinee. Mom and I sat in the center of the 6th row on the South side of the theatre, which turned out to be -- in our opinions -- the BEST seats in the house! I know that in theory every seat in a theatre-in-the-round setting is a good one, but in actuality that's not necessarily true. Like I said, this time we had GREAT seats! I was only blocked from the action a few times, and most of the time we had a perfect view of Audra and Will's faces.
The play was AMAZING (yes, I am embracing the overuse of the CAPS Lock key in this post. It makes me happy). There was no differentiation between the professional/equity members of the cast and the local talent. They were ALL so good! I had forgotten that two of my Little Women co-stars, Ricky Parkinson and Craig Williams, were in the show, and was happy to see them share the stage with such a fantastic group. Everyone was strong and made for an enjoyable performance.
I felt like the first few scenes/songs were just building up to Audra's appearance, and when she actually burst onstage I immediately started to cry from anticipation, relief, and joy. She was incredible. She was just so present the entire time. Nothing seemed rehearsed or forced. I really felt like she lost herself in the character and was dealing with Lizzie Curry's struggles. Her emotions were raw and painful and genuine. And it was really cool the way her face seemed to transform during the pivitol "I'm pretty scene." One minute she wasn't very pretty and the next she was gorgeous. No makeup difference, just her confidence and belief in herself. I couldn't take my eyes off her. And when she started to sing... lets just say I cried a lot, ok? When she finished "Old Maid" I was grateful for intermission, because I had to sob for a few minutes; I am so glad I packed kleenex. (To be fair, I was also crying because I can identify with the lyrics to the song.)
Will Swenson was electric. As soon as he came onstage I was rooting for him, and I hoped that his character really could bring rain to the poor town. I don't know that I've actually heard him sing before, and though I'm not a huge fan of the way he sings, it worked for the character, and I loved his charisma and chemistry with Audra. My mom tells me I may regret not asking for a photo with him. She is probably right. But for now, I'll always think of him as that guy from The Singles Ward movie...
At the end of the show, I stood and applauded with the rest. I couldn't cheer, because I was crying like a maniac again. Mom and I waited at the stage door with a group of fans so I could get a photo with Audra. I'm afraid I didn't have much to say. At least, nothing that she hadn't heard before. I felt like a starstruck dunce and even now can't look at the photo without cringing a little. But, I was sincere in my compliments and grateful for the 15 seconds she had available for me. She was so nice and so pretty!
I am so, so glad that I went. I was afraid that all of the friend statements and professional reviews I'd read were too good to be true. They weren't. Audra was amazing. The show was amazing. I have to agree with everyone and even support someone's statement that I may be a better actress just for having seen Audra so up close in this role. I want to be a better actress. I happened to run into a friend of mine who just happens to be the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at HCTO. He said that people had flown in from New York and Chicago just for the chance to see Will and Audra in such an intimate setting, and all of them had said it was worth the expense. I second that. I almost feel guilty for getting my tickets so cheap. Almost.
Tonight was closing night for Audra and Will, but the rest of the cast will be performing for another six weeks or so. I have no doubt it will continue to be a fantastic show, and I wish them all luck with the rest of the run!
As a final send-off, here is a clip of Audra singing "Raunchy", a song from the show, at the Tony Awards a few years ago. Imagine this, but from 20 feet away and LIVE.
FREAKING AMAZING!!
(Final count of the use of the word "amazing:" 7 including this note)
2 comments:
I really, really wish I had been able to see this. I'm glad you had such an AWESOME time! What a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It was perfection wrapped up in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I agree with everything you said about McDonald. I was beyond impressed with her ability and her graciousness after the show. Oh man she was amazing.
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