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One moment in RAGTIME and I was instantly a huge fan

Posted by:	GrumpyMorningBoy 04:45 am EST 12/08/13
In reply to:	Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13

RAGTIME was the first time I'd seen Audra perform live. I'd already heard the studio cast recording, so I knew I liked her voice, but I was unsure what kind of actress she'd be. * * * * Mild spoilers * * * * * I sat in the balcony of the (then) Ford Theater. When her character, Sarah, finally agreed to go downstairs and see Coalhouse, Audra took the smallest of moments - an assessing of herself -- that absolutely slayed me. All she did was adjust / smooth out her dress before going downstairs, but in that one moment, she projected a HUGE, powerful subtext. You could tell what she was feeling, and I could feel it all the way in the balcony: "I tried to murder his son. I hope he forgives me." Yes. I'm telling you, I got all that in a 2-second GESTURE. And I turned to my sister next to me and said, "Tony Award. Right there." Since then, I've seen Audra at Joe's Pub and several other concert venues, in MARIE CHRISTINE, 110 IN THE SHADE and PORGY AND BESS. From what I can pick up, the biggest way Audra wins massive fandom is for her acting, hands down. Yes, some of us also love her voice, but the way she wows people is for her acting. That's certainly the case for this rabid reaction to "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." Audra made a real actable, active moment out of a number that's usually little more than "plant your feet and just sing the song." Not that she's invincible; I'm not the only boy in town who felt that Medea's character arc was simply out of her reach. Beyond what any young woman could convey, really -- she was simply too young to pull off the acting requirements of MARIE CHRISTINE, despite the fact that the role was written for her. She gave absolutely everything she had, no question, but I'm certain she'd give a far stronger performance if she revisited the role now, having lived through a divorce and the loss of her father. In press interviews since then, she's seeming indicated that she knew the heaviest gravitas of the role may be more than she could get in tune with. Not so for PORGY AND BESS. Whatever Audra's lived through, she brought it to bear last season in a performance that moved me very, very, very much. I couldn't believe how grounded and honest her portrayal was. As it happens, I really, really like her singing voice. I love how her timbre changes so dramatically as she moves into her lower register; the earthy texture down there is so warm and human. She's got a lotta colors in there, and she uses them beautifully. Listen to her verses on "The Man that Got Away" from "Happy Songs." All velvety sultry smoothness. But her high notes -- for me -- are energetic, rich and stunning. There's a lovely roundness when she's super high, particularly her 'ah' vowel -- watch her "My Man's Gone Now" from the Gershwin concert (linked below) that I find broad, big and beautiful. If you listen to the RAGTIME studio recording, you can hear Audra rise above the entire ensemble as one of the high sopranos at the very last note of the opening title song. Even if I had no idea who she was, I'd hear that and say, "Damn, who is that soprano up there? Gorgeous." That said, it's just a voice; it doesn't do everything equally well. And she's had some bad habits over the years, many of which she's grown out of. She used to have more trouble controlling the release of her high notes; she'd go sharp at the end of some long phrases. Certainly not the first classical singer to do that, but voices mature, and many classical singers reach the peak of their vocal control in their 40's. I'm not a big fan of her mix, and she tends to avoid songs (in her concert repertoire) that stay really mix-ey. Listen to "I'm Still Here" from her recent PBS concert -- an amazing performance of a heart-wrenching song -- and you can hear her mix on the verses. God help any woman who has to hang out in her passaggio for long, but it's not her strong suit. We probably notice it because we're blessed with an abundance of Broadway talent from women who seem to have no perceptible break whatsoever -- Liz Callaway, Kerry Butler, and all their ilk -- but Audra just isn't one of those singers. And while Audra's got some great belt at her disposal when she needs it, she avoids high belting. A song like "See What I Wanna See" would probably be more thrilling from a singer who belted the whole thing. Hearing Audra head into her head voice just makes you miss singers with high belty ranges; Kathy Brier (HAIRSPRAY, "Boardwalk Empire" ) would sound amazing on that song. Audra was miscast in the DREAMGIRLS concert for The Actor's Fund. She did a great job with what she's got, but she doesn't have the hooty breathy disco voice of a Minnie Riperton (or verily, Donna Summer) that Deena needs. Pop and contemporary styles aren't her strong suit; her riffs and runs sound out of sorts, so a recording like "My Stupid Mouth" by John Mayer doesn't make for the most organic fit. Her pop riffs remind me of Sandi Patti. Listen. Hey -- Audra's amazing, and if she wants to sing that stuff, I say go for it -- but it's not where she wins her biggest fans. I think perhaps my biggest admiration for her, though, has been the projects that she's chosen and the composers who have gotten incredible exposure through her concert repertoire. When she was a white hot huge new star, she essentially christened the careers of Adam Guettel, Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael John LaChiusa at Joe's Pub grand opening, and I don't think any of them would have gained the same notoriety and success that the have if Audra hadn't done that. Her first album was massively influential, and it brought more elements of the classical composition back into the American musical theatre. That was huge. I don't know why she did "Private Practice," -- as opposed to any number of other tv or film projects -- but it definitely taught her a lot about on-screen acting. Over the course of the show, she moved away from bigger stagey choices and got more in touch with more naturalistic, intimate acting for the camera. She's added that to her bag of skills, and I really think she's one of our greatest working actresses. I am hoping she'll get a major Oscar-worthy film role, and soon. No performer is everyone's cup of tea. I think Mandy Patinkin is weird and affected and strange, despite how lovely his recording of "High Flying, Adored" is. But thanks for asking, and thanks for reading. - GMB
URL:	Audra singing "My Man's Gone Now"

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