An Evening with Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald is coming to the Zellerbach Theatre on Saturday, June 5, 2027, for an evening of song. It's her Penn Live Arts debut, and the program is built around her voice rather than a full production. She's a Juilliard-trained soprano, and the set draws from a mix of Broadway favorites and classics from the Great American Songbook.

If you're not familiar with her, the numbers tell a good part of the story. She's a record-breaking six-time Tony winner, with two Grammy Awards and an Emmy to go with them. She's spent her career moving between roles that don't always sit in the same neighborhood: Carousel, Porgy and Bess, and Ragtime are among the ones she's known for. The common thread is the emotional nuance she brings to the material, and that's what she'll be leaning into here, stripped of the sets and costumes of a full show.

Because it's a song recital, the focus stays on the singing. You'll hear the Broadway songs she's associated with alongside the older standards of the American songbook, and the two styles share a lot of the same ground. It's a chance to hear her voice without the distraction of a plot to follow, just the songs themselves.

The performance is at 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 5, at the Zellerbach Theatre at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Penn Live Arts is presenting, and they've noted that no discounts will be offered for this particular show.