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Audra McDonald is repurposing her experience as a mother for her current Broadway role.
The six-time Tony Award-winning actress now stars as Rose in the revival of Gypsy. Gypsy Lee Rose was a real burlesque entertainer who performed from the 1930s to the 1950s. The show follows an ambitious mother, played by McDonald, who will do anything to turn her daughters into stars in the world of vaudeville and burlesque. As a mother of two daughters, McDonald toldPeople on May 27 that her own experiences helped shape her performance.
“I can’t carry my real daughters on stage with me because the way my character Rose mothers is very different than how I mother my daughters,” she said. “But I carry the depth of motherhood on stage with me because I know what that is. I carry the depth of mothering daughters. And I carry the depth of mothering Black daughters, for sure.”
In this 2024 revival, that depth is more meaningful than ever. McDonald, along with her young co-stars Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson, is making history. They are the first Black actresses to play these roles since Gypsy first appeared on Broadway in 1959. Wood and Tyson play Louise and June, respectively. Louise was the real life “Gypsy”—whose real name was Rose Louise Hovik. Gypsy’s younger sister June Havoc was born as Ellen Evangeline Hovick. Rose fiercely pushed both daughters toward fame.
McDonald didn’t get into specifics, but acknowledged that her real-life parenting style with daughters Zoe, 23, and Sally, 8, differs from her character’s. Still, she connects deeply with Rose’s fierce love and ambition.
“That’s certainly how I was raised,” she said. “The Black women in my life—my aunts, my grandmothers, my ancestors—it was all about, ‘I’ve got to protect you.’ And if it means you need to do this in order to stay safe, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
McDonald began her stage career in 1992 with The Secret Garden. Earlier this month, she became the most-nominated performer in Tony history with 11 nominations. She still holds the record for the most Tony wins by an actor, with six awards.
When asked how it feels to make history again, McDonald chose to spotlight her castmates’ success.
“I’m so thrilled that the show was nominated [for Best Revival], that my castmates Danny [Burstein] and Joy were nominated, and that our choreographer, Camille A. Brown, was nominated,” she said. “I’m so proud of the work we’re doing in this show. Being recognized together is what matters most.”
The revival of Gypsy first opened to the public in December 2024, and will run until August 31, 2025.
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