Music Review by Ron Fassler . . . .
When someone is referred to as an icon or a legend during their lifetime it can often be a burden. Who can live up to that? It was Nathan Lane who once said, when introducing her onstage, “And now a woman who can’t leave her apartment without winning a Tony Award . . . Audra McDonald!” Thursday evening, in the first of a two-night engagement, Audra McDonald: Musings through Music with Andy Einhorn, at the 92nd Street Y, McDonald sauntered onto the stage with no introduction whatsoever. It wasn’t necessary. The sold-out house was there in rapt anticipation of spending two hours with a consummate professional, covering what is now a thirty-year career. At its finish, people staggered up the aisles, united in chattering about what had just been a major group experience. If you are someone for whom musical theater is your life’s blood, nights such as these are the ones you live for.
Upon entering the auditorium, stage right was set with two comfortable chairs, and stage left with a grand piano and a standing mic. This configuration is familiar for those who have seen Seth Rudetsky conduct interviews with his famous friends for a combination of talk and song (I’ve seen him do so many times, even with McDonald). On this occasion, Andy Einhorn, McDonald’s musical director of twenty years, was the host. They share a deep friendship as well as a musicianship that makes for an affectionate and complete whole of two halves. Their yin and yang all evening was not only entertaining but highly emotional and made for an onstage discourse that can only be described as beautiful.
Einhorn artfully pulled together a collection of clips from McDonald’s career, almost all of which showcased her as a teenager and mapped the journey from where she has come to where she is today. To see a sixteen-year-old McDonald as Dorothy, costumed in a puffy white dress, surrounded by the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion singing “Home” on a fuzzy VHS tape, provided images and sound I’ll never forget. That she then seamlessly launched into the song live—now sung by her fifty-three-year-old self—was simply breathtaking. All that was missing was Toto running from the wings and jumping into her arms on the final note. I had to wipe away tears.
What made this such a special event was the deep dive of mixing McDonald’s personal story with that of her extraordinary skill as a singer/actress. Her activism, devotion to family, and mentorships that formed her whole persona, and how those developments molded her into such a rich and dedicated artist, were discussed. Some of the connections she spoke of were profound; lessons learned from her parents and how someone like Barbara Cook—whom she grew up in awe of—became a significant colleague and dear friend.
The music, unfolding mostly in chronological order, showed off her astonishingly varied and prolific career to great advantage. We got most of the big ones: charming with “Mr. Snow” from Carousel (her first Tony); devastating with “Daddy’s Son” from Ragtime (her third Tony); as well as some other special treats. For the first time in years, she returned to Verdi’s “Vieni t’affretta” from Macbeth, which she sang in Terrence McNally’s Master Class (her second Tony), which deliriously threw me back to 1995, the first time I saw her onstage. She also performed one of the Billie Holiday songs that she dazzled with in Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (Tony number six). Only this time (and for the first time), instead of imitating Holiday—which she did to perfection in the play—she went back and forth with her own natural singing voice, leading to a unique and thrilling rendition of “Crazy, He Calls Me.” It might have been my favorite of the night.
There was no song list in the program, but from my notes, a ballad was performed from Marie Christine (the first time McDonald was up for a Tony and didn’t bring one home), a Sondheim medley of “What Can You Lose?” and “Not a Day Goes By,” plus “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Simple Little Things,” “Being Green,” and a lovely song titled “I Love Today” that McDonald found while scrolling on TikTok. It’s by a mother and daughter team, Emily King and Kim Kalesti that you can check out here.
For the finale, Einhorn paid an emotional tribute to his longtime collaborator, concluding the night with the pair singing “Get Happy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Intermissionless, had it gone on for two more hours, I don’t think anyone would have gotten up to go home. It’s hard to believe all Audra McDonald has accomplished in the past three decades. Here’s to at least three more. Long may her vibrant life and love of the theater thrive.
Audra McDonald: Musings through Music with Andy Einhorn was performed February 8 and 9 at 92Y (1395 Lexington Avenue at East 92nd Street). www.92Y.org
Photos: Richard Termine
