Six-Time Tony winner Audra McDonald returns to Broadway as monster stage mother, Mama Rose in a revival of the musical, "Gypsy." She took to Instagram, saying in a video, "I can finally say 'curtain up,' 'light the lights,' I am returning to Broadway this fall."
The announcement comes a mere three months after the six-time Tony-winning actress denied rumors of a revival involving her.
"Gypsy" premiered in 1959, and was written by composer Jule Styne and lyricist Stephen Sondheim based on the childhood of Burlesque entertainer, Gypsy Rose Lee. McDonald's character is a controlling mother who forces her two children onto the Vaudeville stage, and is considered one of the greatest roles in musical theater.
Directing the show is another Tony heavyweight--George C. Wolf, who won the award for "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches," and "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk."
"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," said producers Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs. "Sometimes the theatre 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." Wolfe and McDonald are reuniting after their 2016 collaboration in "Shuffle Along." Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.
The "Gypsy" revival will start previews on November 21. Opening night is on Dec. 19, reopening the newly renovated Majestic Theater which had been closed since last year.
McDonald's last Broadway appearance was in 2022, when she played Suzanne Alexander in "Ohio State Murders." She received a Tony nomination for the role.
