Once upon a time, Broadway musicals set the standard for popular
music heard on the radio. It was a time before rock and hip-hop
““ a time when composers like George and Ira Gershwin created
the Top 40 hits.
Mezzo-soprano Audra McDonald hopes to encourage a return to the
idea of Broadway tunes being today’s pop songs. Accompanied
by her usual trio of piano, bass and percussion, McDonald will
perform Sunday night at UCLA, singing songs from musical theater
and film.
McDonald, a three-time Tony Award winner, has a voice that can
sing both opera and pop, and the talent as an actress to star both
on Broadway and television. The California native and Julliard
graduate claims to have been singing for virtually her whole life
and attributes much of the ease with which she can be both an
actress and a vocalist to the early age when she got involved in
musical theatre.
To remind people of the abundant talent and creativity that
still exists in musical theater today, McDonald will be performing
pieces by young composers in the field, a niche she likes to
support because she grew up doing musical theater.
The work of these new artists is often thought to be disturbing;
today’s composers can discuss issues and emotions that were
often considered taboo to previous generations. The heroines in the
songs of McDonald’s program range from a woman who wants to
commit suicide to a woman who wants to kiss the man beside her.
“I was really interested in new work and people who pushed
the envelope,” McDonald said. “We need to continue to
nurture and support (new composers).”
But McDonald has not forgotten the great composers of decades
past, as the evening promises to be a blend of the work of current
artists, including the acclaimed Broadway composer Adam Guettel,
alongside the work of Guettel’s grandfather, Richard Rodgers
and his contemporaries, Duke Ellington and Harold Arlen.
McDonald’s rise to the top of her field has not always
been easy. As an black woman, Audra had to work extra hard to earn
a reputation in a white-dominated field.
“Being African American, I’ve been very, very lucky.
But (blacks) have had to work really hard,” McDonald said.
“I think Broadway is much further along than film and
television because (the film industry) is catering to the
advertisers’ money. So if showing interracial couples makes
them uncomfortable, they aren’t going to show
them.”
In fact, McDonald recalls the most memorable moment in her
career as her final call back to Carousel, even after fainting
during the audition. The audition was color-blind casted, and
McDonald’s victory in capturing the role proved she had the
talent to make it in Broadway and begin breaking down racial
boundaries for black actors and singers.
McDonald doesn’t like to just sing in her performances;
she plans to give the audience the background of each piece so they
can better understand and appreciate each song. In Sunday’s
performance, McDonald will also incorporate acting into her pieces
to expose the audience to more than one craft.
“I’m looking forward to connecting with the
audience,” McDonald said. “I’m here to share
““ it’s show and tell.”