Our first night in New York, we saw what is likely to be the high point of our trip — Audra McDonald in the latest revival of Gypsy.
It is a show I have seen countless times, including with such Mama Roses as Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters, and none of them has come close to the dramatic impact of McDonald’s performance.
Let me gush further. In my 50-plus years of theater going and reviewing, McDonald’s Rose Hovick is one of the top five performances I have ever seen.
She is sensational throughout the show, but she tops herself with the finale solo, “Rose’s Turn,” a primal scream of urgency.
It is inconceivable to me that she will not win her seventh Tony Award for this volcanic performance, but even that seems inadequate. Can a performer receive a Nobel Prize?
Next up: Two shows on Wednesday — Smash and Dead Outlaw, two of this season’s new musicals.