For a rock rsquo;n rsquo; roll fan, going to see Audra McDonald is a lot like that black-tie event you got roped into attending: You rsquo;re not necessarily looking forward to it, but it turns out a bit better than expected.
McDonald, a five-time Tony award-winning actress and Juilliard-trained vocalist, is known for her perfect pitch, air-tight annunciation and sturdy vibrato, all of which were apparent during the first of two intimate, sold-out performances at Scullers on Thursday night.
But you couldn rsquo;t shake the sensation that McDonald rsquo;s musical core defies the confines of a nightclub.
She sings with her entire body. It rsquo;s hard to stuff that into a corner and have it feel natural.
She transformed John Mayer rsquo;s lsquo; lsquo;My Stupid Mouth, rdquo; Nellie McKay rsquo;s cocktail-spiked lsquo; lsquo;I Wanna Get Married, rdquo; and Jessica Molaskey rsquo;s lsquo; lsquo;Cradle and All rdquo; into viable performance pieces, making them seem as if they rsquo;d been plucked from stage scores.
News RSS