Audra McDonald at Ozawa Hall

Submitted by Lesley Ann Beck on July 19, 2010 - 11:59pm

Classical Music

Audra McDonald; photo by Michael Wilson, courtesy Nonesuch Records

Tanglewood

Route 183

Lenox, Mass.

Audra McDonald

A New American Songbook

July 18, 2010

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck

(LENOX, Mass.) On Sunday evening, four-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald came out onto the stage of Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and launched right into her first song, “When Did I Fall in Love,” by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, from Fiorello. It was the perfect way to start the concert, giving the audience exactly what they had come to hear: her voice. Her voice is gorgeous. It is lush, expressive, rich, full of color and texture, and beautiful in tone. Am I overstating it? Not really. Her singing voice is simply wonderful, and she makes it look so easy.

When McDonald wasn’t singing, she charmed any audience members who weren’t already won over with her easy manner and humorous anecdotes. She looked fabulous, too, wearing a flowing gown of watercolor tones of yellow, orange, pink, and yellow with her hair in a chic chignon.

The concert was titled “A New American Songbook,” and it consisted of, as McDonald said, “old favorites of mine and a few new things and three firsts.” She was accompanied by her very accomplished music director, Ted Sperling, at the piano.

Her second selection was a song by Jason Robert Brown, “Stars and the Moon,” from Songs for a New World, delivered with the skills of a seasoned storyteller. She then introduced “a great old chestnut,” as she called it, “It Might As Well Be Spring,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein tune from State Fair; and that segued nicely into a choice from the musical On a Clear Day.

Next was the Jerome Kern song, “Bill,” a terrific number that she chose to sing for Bill Cosby at one point; although, as she pointed out, it was not one of his favorites. The next piece was a fun song made famous by Betty Hutton in one of her films, “Can’t Stop Talking About Him,” by Frank Loesser. McDonald performs love songs, humorous numbers, ballads, and lullabies equally well; making every song her own with her simple, direct, and heartfelt performances. “Simple Little Things” from the Broadway revival of 110 in the Shade was followed by the great Harold Arlen number “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe.”

Next up were two songs from a new musical that is currently being written by Michael John LaChiusa, based on a book written by Marlene Deitrich; these were two of the “new things” she promised. The third “new thing” was a song by composer Adam Guettel that she sang from the piano, accompanying herself (her late father, she explained, had expressed a wish that she play the piano more).

Sondheim’s “The Glamorous Life” preceded a pair of sweet lullabies, and then "I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, which turned into a sing-along. There were more Sondheim songs; “Not a Day Goes By” and “There Won’t Be Trumpets.” Her fluid technique and expressive delivery work for the older standards and for pieces by newer composers like Adam Guettel and Jason Robert Brown.

It was a marvelous ninety-plus minutes of Audra McDonald, capped off by “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music as the encore, and a final stirring song dedicated to the late Lena Horne. McDonald’s favorites among the standards of the American Songbook included some charming surprises and her unerring delivery made for a magnificent evening.

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