We need to talk about Audra McDonald.
If you're unfamiliar with her, please take a moment to get acquainted with how insanely talented she is.
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You may remember her from her portrayal of Mother Abbess in NBC's The Sound of Music Live! but she's been dominating stages for about two decades now.
1. Audra is basically Broadway royalty...
... And deservedly so. Her range is absurdly wide. She can be subtly hilarious...
2. ... Or heart-wrenchingly dramatic. Like she will make you cry.
3. Oh and she's GORGEOUS. Here she is lending her ethereal beauty to a Tony award.
4. Actually, we should probably take a second to count her Tonys. One, two...
... three, four...
... five, six. SIX TONYS. Your fave could never. Literally. She holds more Tonys than any other actor.
5. And yet, she's incredibly humble.
6. Seriously, you think her head would get big with so many Tonys, but it hasn't.
7. The woman is a vocal powerhouse. It's like a songbird mated with church bells and blessed us with this unreal voice.
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8. Her stunning cords can literally make any song a masterpiece.
9. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be a song. Her voice is pure magic.
10. She'll happily take any role offered to her, be it large or small.
I just got a new gig. The 12 yr olds at my house have just cast me as Effie Trinket in their backyard play of Hunger Games. Curtain in 3 min
11. This stage queen is all about experimentation in theatre.
12. And she's just like us! She understands the excruciating dilemmas all Broadway lovers go through.
13. She's not afraid to use her characters to make sure you have a good time at the show.
Violet says "We'll wait" Billie says "What the hell is that?" So many ways to say the same thing... TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE in the THEATER!
14. She really knows how to communicate to the accompanist that you hate the sudden key change.
15. But she also knows how to be a diva when the time calls for it.
16. Oh, and she's super insightful, like when she totally nailed the performer's mindset.
17. She had the most appropriate response to revealing the first musical she saw.
18. She lets peons like us sing with her (though we probably couldn't hit that high Db at the end).
19. She's totally not afraid to address the problematic aspects of some of your fave shows.
20. She's pretty much the best part of any show she's in, and her incredible talent helps mask the flaws of her lesser co-stars.
21. And other "stars" pretty much fall apart in her presence. As they should.
Basically, you should bow down to her perfection.
