When Audra McDonald reflects on the relentless pace of her years performing on Broadway and in many other venues over the course of her career, the sport of baseball comes to mind as a fitting comparison.
“Your entire day, every single day, is about [keeping] my body and my health in optimal shape so that I can do the show, because our bodies are our instruments,” the six-time Tony Award-winning singer and actress said on this week’s St. Louis on the Air.
“It’s not a glamorous life by any stretch of the imagination, and it takes a lot of discipline, it really does. There’s not a lot of talking during the day, there’s not a lot of going out and partying – well certainly not anymore, the older you get – after a show or anything like that.”
McDonald joined the show in advance of her concert in St. Louis set for 7 p.m. this Sunday, May 6, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus.
Along with discussing her wide-ranging roles which most recently have included appearances in everything from Disney’s 2017 live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” to the production “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grille,” the National Medal of Arts recipient touched on what fuels her activism and how being the mother of an 18-month-old has impacted her life.
Listen to the full conversation between McDonald and producer Evie Hemphill:
Related Event
What: An Evening with Audra McDonald: Songs from the American Music Theater
When: 7 p.m. Sunday, May 6, 2018
Where: Touhill Performing Arts Center (1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121)
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
