Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) earned a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut in the hit revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross.” But almost 30 years ago, if he’d gotten his way, he would have starred in a very different production of David Mamet’s celebrated play.
How Broadway’s Audra McDonald and Joy Woods Made Gypsy Their Own →
By all accounts, the main event this Broadway season is director George C. Wolfe’s revival of Gypsy, starring six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as the ambitious, overbearing, and fiercely protective Mama Rose. It’s a punishing, seismic role that’s been played by a true murderer’s row of Broadway divas—including Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters, and, of course, Patti LuPone—but McDonald, the first Black actor to play Rose, was determined to interpret it anew.
Listen to an Exclusive Song From Gypsy, the Broadway Show Oprah Couldn’t Get Enough Of →
Art can be incredibly inspiring, and that was certainly the case when Oprah saw the Broadway musical Gypsy in March. In her Intention that week, Oprah shared how the experience moved her. “To watch someone perform at their highest vibration, a performance straight out of the soul bed. It was so stirring, her soul stirring ours, the audience, and us all having this glorified shared frequency experience,” Oprah said of lead (and six-time Tony winner) Audra McDonald’s performance. “I couldn’t scream loud enough, applaud, stomp my feet hard enough.”
Gypsy: Tiny Desk Concert →
On Broadway, musical supervisor Andy Einhorn conducts a 26-person orchestra, but for Tiny Desk, that ensemble was stripped down to 11 musicians. Sisters Louise and June, played by rising stars Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson, respectively, plead for a moment of peace and independence in "If Momma Was Married." Leading man Danny Burstein joins Woods and McDonald for the charming "Together, Wherever We Go." The trio of "stunning strippers" portrayed by Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas and Mylinda Hull leave a mark with the comedic crowd pleaser "You Gotta Get a Gimmick." McDonald's enthralling performance of "Some People" closes out the show…
Joey Fatone will host a sing-along at Broadway’s ‘& Juliet’ →
The Broadway production of “& Juliet” will host a special sing-along performance. Hosted by NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, the event will take place during the 7 p.m. performance of the Max Martin jukebox musical on May 8. As previously announced, Fatone will return to the role of Lance beginning on April 22 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
