Audra McDonald s new album is dream come true

A certified star of stage, screen and recorded music with six Tonys, two Grammys and an Emmy there doesn t appear to be anything she can t do.

In May, McDonald released her first concert recording, Sing Happy, which she discussed in a recent interview.

Wisconsin Gazette: You were recently a guest judge on RuPaul s Drag Race. What was that experience like for you?

Audra McDonald: It was so much fun! I ve known Ru for a long time. I ve obviously been a fan of the show.

Ever since I ve been in New York, when I was in college, a couple of my friends were doing drag and performing in clubs when we were in school to make a little extra cash. I grew to have not only an appreciation but also a love of the art form very early on. I consider it an incredible art form. For me, it was a joy to be a part of it.

Have you ever seen a drag queen doing you in their act?

Have I seen one? No. But there is a very talented actor in New York who sounds like me, so he ll sing like me from time to time. He ll do Audra McDonald imitations. He s amazing.

The Snatch Game Drag Race episode you were on featured Alex Trebek. Have you ever been an answer on Jeopardy?

I was! I was a whole category once (laughs). It was a huge honor.

Sing Happy, your first live album with a full orchestra, was released in May. What were you most looking forward to about the release of this recording?

Just the fact that I got the opportunity to sing with the New York Philharmonic and that it s been recorded for posterity that for me is a dream come true. There are a lot of classic Broadway tunes (on the album). A lot of times they were orchestrated for larger orchestras than what we have on Broadway now. But I don t think they were ever orchestrated for as huge an orchestra as we had with the New York Phil.

When you perform a concert, as you are June 6 in Milwaukee at Uihlein Hall at the Marcus Center, what percentage of the material is drawn from your stage work and your recordings?

Really a small percentage of the roles I ve actually played. Maybe one or two songs from the roles that I played. For the rest, I try to let myself have a wide berth in terms of singing songs of the roles that I might not get the chance to play or roles that I ve always wanted to play. More of it is just from the incredible songbook of the Great American Musical Theater.

You were in two very different movie musicals in 2017, Beauty and the Beast and Hello Again. In the latter you played Sally, a character who got to have love scenes with Cheyenne Jackson and Martha Plimpton. What was it about Sally that made you want to play her?

I auditioned for Hello Again when it was first done off-Broadway a million years ago. That s where I first met (gay playwright) Michael John LaChiusa and (director) Graciela Daniele. They said, You re not quite right, not quite old enough for the role. I ve had my eye on Sally since then (laughs). When I was contacted about them making it into a film and Michael John asked me if I wanted to do it, I said, Heck, yeah! I didn t have to think about it for a millisecond. Once they told me I was working with Cheyenne Jackson and Martha Plimpton, I was over the moon!

Speaking of movies, you ve won an Emmy, two Grammys and six Tonys. If you win an Oscar, you ll complete the EGOT package.

Oh, my goodness! I don t know that that s something that will never happen, but I d be blown away if it were. I don t think I could come up with that in my wildest dreams. If that were to happen, I d probably lie down and float right up to heaven.