What else do I have to say about Emmy, Grammy and six-time Tony winning actress and Broadway star Audra McDonald? A living legend of screen and stage, I knew I had to see her one night only concert at the London Palladium featuring the renowned London Musical Theatre Orchestra with musical direction by Andy Einhorn.
Don’t worry, though! You will be able to watch it soon as the entire concert was filmed for future release (the second filming for a stage production I’ve attended this year). So as someone who was actually there, what were my thoughts on it?
Audra McDonald Sings The Great American Songbook
Venue: The London Palladium
Date: September 25th 2022
Rating: ★★★★★
What did I think of Audra McDonald Sings The Great American Songbook?
This one-night only concert proves why Audra McDonald is the Broadway legend we know and love. As she points out, the London Palladium has been host to past legends including Judy Garland and the debut for Duke Ellington, emphasising that this was an event to remember. While a grand concert hosted in one of London’s grandest theatres with a massive audience, there was something intimate about the whole affair. Part biographical concert part tribute to some of the greatest American (and a few British) composers, each song Audra McDonald sang carried its own story.
Whether it be her winning a solo competition singing Funny Girl’s Cornet Man when she was 14 that garnered many laughs, or her daughter messaging her about laundry between singing the utterly tearjerking version of Climb Ev’ry Mountain for The Sound of Music Live, Audra’s down to earth personality and sense of humour shone through, even taking her gorgeous heels off to give her feet a break. Her setlist was a love letter to the people who’ve guided her throughout her career and the music that inspired her to pursue her dreams with no regrets.
It would be easy to accuse Audra McDonald of bragging rights with all the names she drops, but it never feels inauthentic as they added to her stories and messages (given her illustrious film and stage resumé I wouldn’t have cared), with moments including:
- Diahann Carroll being a trailblazer for black screen and stage performers, understandable as both stars played the titular Bess in Porgy and Bess (the opera that introduced me to Audra)
- The late great Barbara Cook teaching her it was OK to make mistakes onstage and just have fun
- Anna Wintour asking Audra to sing Cabaret at the 2021 Met Gala as a way of telling everyone Broadway is back post-lockdown, a song she admitted she wouldn’t have previously touched.
What standout moments were there?
Honestly? The entire concert and I’m not exaggerating to the point we’d be here all day if I went through every single song. To get the overall vibe, let’s just say that they ended with me either close to tears or the waterworks flowing, hurting my hands from clapping so hard or standing on my feet hollering all the way from the Grand Circle.
More than showing off her iconic vocal prowess, Audra McDonald knows how to act the hell out of a song, all of them ending with more than deserved rapturous applause and/or standing ovations. Her ability to convey so many emotions was incredible to watch unfold. Whether it be the anger and frustration of Everything’s Coming Up Roses that really made me wish for a Gypsy revival starring her, or the pure joy of My Fair Lady’s I Could’ve Danced All Night as she finally reached soprano island (while also proving why I’m not a soprano when she got the audience to sing along), what struck me was how effortless she made it all look.
And those above examples aren’t even before I get into Audra’s soul-wrenching versions of Hallelujah Baby’s Being Good Isn’t Good Enough and thrilling Let’s Dance’s I Can’t Stop Talking!
Another aspect that surprised me about the concert was the setlist’s versatility. While singing both classic and modern Broadway including Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown, Audra McDonald also gave room for other musical genres including jazz with (In My) Solitude and an acoustic lullaby version of The Muppet’s It’s Not That Easy Being Green. Gripping me with each lyric, Audra’s captivating stage presence helped when she used to this concert to convey messages of change, with a mashup of South Pacific’s You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught and Into The Woods‘ Children Will Listen striking a particular chord given today’s needlessly divisive political and social climate.
What helped the concert’s grandeur was the luscious 40-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra conducted by Andy Einhorn. Perfectly complementing Audra McDonald’s stunning vocals, each player got their moment to shine and they all deserve just as much love and attention as this concert’s leading lady. Moments from them I particularly loved were a trio version of Annie Get Your Gun’s Moonshine Lullaby and a deeply nostalgic version of The Wiz’s Home.
What are my overall thoughts?
Don’t consider this a five star review. Consider this a million star review. Seeing Audra McDonald grace the London Palladium stage was one of those once in a lifetime experiences I’ll always treasure. With a phenomenal setlist that shows off the starlet’s pipes across different genres and the incredible London Musical Theatre orchestra by her side, everything comes together and proves why Audra remains a Broadway powerhouse.
It was ultimately a life-affirming celebration of Broadway and given that other musical theatre concert I attended lately, I honestly can’t wait to see who the next Broadway star travelling across the Atlantic will be. Apparently we’ll have an announcement soon and if the stories I’ve heard from the rumour mill are true, then it’s another massive Broadway performer who’ll blow our socks off. With that in mind, I’m going book my tickets to see both Sierra Boggess concerts ASAP.
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