Audra McDonald to star in Broadway revival of 'Gypsy'
Audra McDonald to star in Broadway revival of 'Gypsy'
May 30 (UPI) -- Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald is set to star as iconic stage mother Rose in the Broadway revival of Gypsy.
"Curtain up. Light the lights. I am returning to Broadway this fall in Gypsy," McDonald said in an Instagram video Wednesday.
George C. Wolfe is to direct the musical by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim.
The role of Rose has been played by Ethel Merman, Rosalind Russell, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and Imelda Staunton.
"When we began this journey we had the specific dream of pairing Audra McDonald, our most lauded stage actress, with legendary director George C. Wolfe in a musical deemed by many to be the greatest," producers Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs said in a joint statement.
"Sometimes the theater gods smile upon us. This is one such time. We could not be more honored to bring this particular Gypsy to the Broadway stage and also include the singular Camille A. Brown as part of our creative team."
Preview performances begin Nov. 21, with an opening night planned for Dec. 19.
Additional casting is expected to be announced at a later date.
The show last played on Broadway in 2008.
McDonald was most recently seen in the New York stage productions of Ohio State Murders and Ragtime, the film Rustin and the TV show The Gilded Age.