Audra McDonald on ‘Gypsy’ & What Her Daughters Thought of Mama Rose
- * Bernadette Peters received a vinyl copy of the Gypsy broadway cast recording.
- * The recording captures the "pained nuance" McDonald brought to the 2024 production of Gypsy.
- * She acknowledges the challenges of stepping into a role with a long history and many opinions about how it should be played.
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Bernadette Peters & the Gypsy Cast Recording:
* Bernadette Peters received a vinyl copy of the Gypsy broadway cast recording.
* She appreciates the physical presentation (vinyl, booklet, pictures, lyrics).
* However, she won’t listen to it for at least 10 years because she’s “too close to it” and wouldn’t have the same experience as an audience member.
* This is a pattern for Peters – she avoids listening to her own cast recordings for a decade or more.
Audra McDonald’s Gypsy Recording:
* The recording captures the “pained nuance” McDonald brought to the 2024 production of Gypsy.
* Her soprano voice is described as “magnificent” on classic songs like “Some People” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”
* She delivers a “tortured, empathetic humanity” to the role of Mama Rose.
* Her performance of “Rose’s Turn” is especially powerful, with her voice intentionally sounding choked and sputtering to convey the character’s emotional breakdown.
* recording the album was “joyous but hard,” and she was grateful for director George C.Wolfe’s guidance.
McDonald on playing Iconic Roles:
* She acknowledges the challenges of stepping into a role with a long history and many opinions about how it should be played.
* She believes only those who have played the role can truly understand it and offer informed commentary.
* She dismisses criticism from those who haven’t taken on the role as “hogwash.”
* She avoids giving advice to Nichelle Lewis, who is currently playing Sarah in a new production of Ragtime (a role McDonald previously won a tony for).