Theater News

Audra McDonald to Kick Off Lincoln Center’s American Songbook

Audra McDonald
(© Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
Audra McDonald
(© Joseph Marzullo/Retna)

Quadruple Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will kick off the ninth season of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series with concerts at 8pm on October 11 and 12 at Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The second concert will be broadcast on PBS’ Live from Lincoln Center series. The concerts will feature musical direction by Tony Award winner Ted Sperling.

The concert will feature selections from her new CD Build a Bridge, which will be released next month by Nonesuch Records.The disc’s 13 selections are all by contemporary composers, includes two songs by her close friend Adam Guettel, “Dividing Day” (from The Light in the Piazza) and the title track, two by 1960s pop goddess Laura Nyro, “To A Child” and “Tom Cat Goodbye,” and Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello’s pop hit “God Give Me Strength.” Also featured on the CD are songs by Oscar winner Randy Newman (“I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”), Nellie McKay (“I Wanna Get Married”), Jessica Molaskey and Ricky Ian Gordon (“Cradle and All”), John Mayer (“My Stupid Mouth”), Neil Young (“My Heart”), Jane Kelly Williams (“Wonderful You”), Joseph Raposo (“Bein’ Green”), and Rufus Wainwright (“Damned Ladies”).

McDonald has won Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Carousel and Ragtime, and Tonys for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Master Class and A Raisin in the Sun. She also received a Best Actress Tony nomination for Marie Christine. Next spring, she will star in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of the Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt musical 110 in the Shade.

Tickets to the general public will go on sale on September 5. Call 212-721-6500 or visit www.lincolncenter.org.