Audra McDonald's sick days? Oy!!!!

[virgil blessing2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 2:38am

SO - I read this week in TimeOutNY that Audra M. has taken quite a few 'sick days' off the past few years during runs. I was not aware of this. GASP! (NO, not MY Audra. LOLOL

I'm seeing "110" in early July. Does anyone know her track record from the past, and are the chances any better that I might actually see HER perform when I go that day?

I saw her just fine in MARIE CHRISTINE, MASTER CLASS, CAROUSEL -so this 'news' (to ME, anyway) was not pleasant. do she do this a lot? and do you think she'll have a crappy attendance record for '110'? or will she actually be onstage for most of the run, d'ya think?

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 2:48am

lol

[Tag]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 2:54am

It is her job.

[MusicalMo]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 3:30am

There is no way to predict any of this. And no one on this board is going to know that. Just buy your ticket, as a normal patron of the theatre, and attend the show. You're getting yourself worked up over nothing at this point. They would announce if a planned absence was happening, otherwise no one knows when they might become ill.

[kyle.]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 4:10am

Oh please.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 8:01am

Unlike in the shows you mentioned above, Audra is above the title for 110 IN THE SHADE, therefore if she is absent from a performance, the audience is entitled to refunds. So don't expect her to miss many shows. And if she does, you can get your money back.

[D2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:11pm

Really? Does she really miss a lot of performances? Is that true? I'm seeing 110 IN THE SHADE in two weeks! Do you think she'll be out? Will I be that lucky? Oh, I hope so! I'd love to see her understudy! Unfortunately, she wasn't out when I saw CAROUSEL, MASTER CLASS and RAGTIME. I saw HER! I wasn't really looking forward to 110 IN THE SHADE, but now I have hope...

[Princeton78]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:20pm

The original poster has a valid question. Audra is known for missing performances. When she was in Marie Christine, she was out for all matinees (This was planned). I wouldn't blame someone who really wants to see her for being nervous about missing her. The ray of hope, as Foster said is that this time you are entitled to a refund if she's out. I will say, you'd be more likely to see her before the Tony's than after.

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:05pm

When she was in Marie Christine, she was out for all matinees (This was planned).

THEN she didn't MISS those performances. Imagine if you got a performance review and the boss said "You didn't come in on ANY Sundays, even though you weren't scheduled, that's a lot of absences.

[istillbelieve24601]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:46pm

Does Audra have a website where you can email her/contact her?

What I did when I was nervous about possibly missing a performer who was known to have a lot of absences was that I emailed him through his website a few days before the show and asked him if he was planning on performing in the show I was attending. I know not all performers have a website, but you can give it a go.

However, in the case of seeing a show in July, unless she's scheduled to be out then, I highly doubt she'll know whether she'll be performing that day or not.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 5:39pm

"THEN she didn't MISS those performances. Imagine if you got a performance review and the boss said "You didn't come in on ANY Sundays, even though you weren't scheduled, that's a lot of absences."

Don't get your panties in a twist. I was simply clarifying the point, that Audra McDonald has never been known for regularly doing 8 show weeks, to the point that when she did Marie Christine, she used an alternate for matinees from the get go. Audra, Donna, Laura...all wonderfull actresses, but don't plan your trips around seeing them in shows or you are setting yourself up for dissapointment.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 5:40pm

off-topic slightly:
this may be a dumb question, but if someone is out when they are above the title,can you get your money back after the show? Like if I see the u/s but I'm like I still want to see so and so in the role can I then get my money back?

[ashley0139]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 5:44pm

Umm... no.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 5:49pm

Does Audra have a website where you can email her/contact her?

Just imagine:

Dear Audra,

Are you going to show up and perform when I come to see the show, or be lazy and stay home?

E-mailing her about this issue would be the epitome of rudeness.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 5:56pm

Wasn't she really fairly good to be at shows until "Ragtime"? Or has it always been an issue?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 6:25pm

The reason why Audra's absenses have never been written about, a la Riedel, is because her four Tony winning performances have all been featured roles, and below the title. It has never warranted reason enough to write a column about. MARIE CHRISTINE was her one leading role, in which, as stated above, she was only scheduled to play six shows a week. She didn't win a Tony for it, so there wasn't enough weight there about which to write a column -- the way that LaChanze was written up by Riedel -- even if she was missing some of her six scheduled performances. People would be like, who cares? That kind of gossip doesn't sell newspapers.

McDonald has been given Get Out Of Jail Free cards for behavior that other performers' careers have taken major hits from. Along the way she snatched up four Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress. Not a bad deal. If she wants to play leading roles and win Tonys for it without being written about by Riedel, she is going to have to show up for every performance pre- and post-Tony Awards.

Updated On: 4/7/07 at 06:25 PM

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:48pm

I'm seeing the show the day of the Tonys/ Do you think that she will be there?

[TomMonster]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:52pm

If it's a matinee (which I assume), she might be. However, because of Tony rehearsals, many stars are out on Tony day.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:59pm

"However, because of Tony rehearsals, many stars are out on Tony day."

When did that begin happening? When I worked on shows, the rehearsals did not interfere with matinee schedules. I never had a performer out of a show because of Tony rehearsal or because they were a nominee/performer that evening.

Posted: 4/7/07 at 8:04pm

No twisted panties here, just think it's unfair to lump in a scheduled absence with "missing shows."

And I had no idea Miss Audra had attendance problems. I must be the luckiest man in the world-- I saw her in 3 shows and never got an understudy.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 8:54pm

I saw her in every NY show she's been in, and she was never out. And La Murphy other than one of the 60 times she was unable to do WONDERFUL TOWN.

But otherwise, I have bad karma with missing stars. I saw Victoria Clarke's sub (the wonderful Ms. Cohenour) the first time she failed to show for PIAZZA. And way back, Larry Kert's in COMPANY (vacation). Add many others -- only Charlaine Woodward and Andre DeShields were in AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' when I saw that! Three out of 5 out, and NOT vacations. I have great affection for the Hugh Jackmans and Michael Cerveris's of the world--you can count on 'em.

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 11:36pm

"I have great affection for the Hugh Jackmans and Michael Cerveris's of the world--you can count on 'em."

I thought that they closed the show when Hugh Jackman went on vacation.

[Papa_Burgundy_NY]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 11:46pm

I think that's why I bought a ticket for April 21st...8 days after 110 begins it's runs. I am HOPING that I will be seeing it soon enough that she will be there and not skip out. I am mainly seeing the show to see Audra, but alas, if she's not there, what are you gonna do? Does anyone know her attendance record for non-musical performances? Like "Raisin in the Sun" and the other Shakespeare play that she did (that escapes my memory right now)?

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 4/8/07 at 2:33am

It was Henry IV, but I have no idea what her attendance record was.

[virgil blessing2]

Posted: 4/8/07 at 3:01pm

lol. wow, what a convo this posting generated. lol. i booked my tickets awhile back, happily. looking forward to seeing the show, no matter who stars, but i do enjoy audra and would prefer it if she were there that evening.

not getting my knickers in a twist whatsoever. lol. i was merely wondering if audra had a past history of missing a lot. when i saw the blurb in TimeOutNY saying that, i was surprised, as I had never heard that in the past.