Joy Woods and Audra McDonald in ‘Gypsy’ on Broadway.Photo:Julieta Cervantes
Julieta Cervantes
The week between Christmas and New Year’s typically yields big box office success on Broadway, with tourists flocking to New York City to see the biggest shows during their holiday vacations. But there was one ticket that was impossible to get last week: George C. Wolfe’s revival ofGypsy, with six-time Tony Award winnerAudra McDonaldin the leading role.
That’s because seven straight shows between Monday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 28 were cancelled, some just hours before they were scheduled to start.
The culprit, according to announcements on the show’s official X account, was “continued Illness within the company.” Because the show had just officially opened on Dec. 19, the production was “very quickly getting all our understudies up to speed.”
Performances resumed on Sunday, Dec. 29. An evening performance on Monday, Dec. 30 is currently still scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Those who had tickets to one of the canceled performances were instructed to check with their point of purchase for exchanges or refunds.
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McDonald posted about the issue on Dec. 22, before the cancellations began.
“Hi friends! You know that nasty cold that’s going around right now? Maybe some of you have it? Sore throat, cough, etc? No fun right? Well that little bugger is racing through the Broadway community right now too including here atGypsyand including yours truly 🙃,” she wrote.
The theater star’s message came along with a selfie, snapped as she used a personal steam inhaler.
“I’m hoping all of you that are coming to shows this holiday week and next can give a little grace to us folks up onstage and backstage as well,” McDonald continued. “Whether it be understanding a little crack or two in a song, or a sneeze or cough while we’re up there. Maybe not the most perfectly sung notes or spoken lines OR if you come to the theater to find out that one of our glorious understudies or swings are on. We are all doing our absolute best to give you the show you deserve while taking care of ourselves at the same time.”
“See you on the boards… and take your vitamins! ❤️🌹,” she added.
Danny Burstein, Joy Woods and Audra McDonald in ‘Gypsy’ on Broadway.Julieta Cervantes
Audra McDonald in ‘Gypsy’ on Broadway.Julieta Cervantes
The idea of playing Rose was something McDonald long dismissed until her late friend,Gavin Creel, encouraged her to do it.
“He kind of put it in my head,” McDonald recalled during an appearance onThe Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadalthat aired in October, noting Creel — who died on Sept. 30 at the age of 48 amid treatment for arare and aggressive form of cancer called sarcoma— had approached her about it one Thanksgiving.
“[Gavin] dragged me into my garage after we had eaten, and he goes, ‘Hey, I want to talk to you about something. You need to play Rose inGypsy. You need to do it. You need to do it. It’s just right. It should be a Black woman and honey, you need to do it,' " McDonald, 54, said.
She noted that Creel even approached Wolfe about the idea “A few years ago, Gavin cornered George and went, ‘Are you going to direct Audra in this? Because you have to do it,’ " she shared.
As thanks, McDonald dedicated her performance to Creel, writing in the show’sPlaybillthat he “planted the seed for this Rose.”
Tickets forGypsyare now on sale.
source: people.com
