‘Gypsy,’ Starring Audra McDonald, Will End Broadway Run

The revival of Gypsy, starring Audra McDonald, will play its final Broadway performance on Aug. 17.

The show reopened the Majestic Theatre in December, and will have played 269 regular performances and 28 previews upon closing. McDonald, who is already a six-time Tony Award winner, was the draw for her portrayal of Rose, the ultimate stage mom, in the revival directed by George C. Wolfe, with the show’s signage reading “Audra. Gypsy.”

The production was nominated for five Tony Awards, including best revival of a musical, but did not take home any trophies at the June awards ceremony. McDonald was nominated for best actress in a musical, in one of the most watched categories in the industry, but the award went to Nicole Scherzinger for her role in Sunset Blvd. (which has its planned closure July 20). 

The show’s grosses started out strong, but began to decline mid-winter and have not rebounded. Capacity had been hovering around 70 percent for several weeks, and grosses fell around $700,000 earlier this month for the week when McDonald had a scheduled absence.

In addition to McDonald, the cast includes Danny Burstein and Joy Woods, who were also Tony-nominated for their roles, Jordan Tyson, Kevin Csolak, Lesli Margherita, Lili Thomas and Mylinda Hull. The musical features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by Camille A. Brown. 

This production was the first time Rose, one of the great stage roles, had been played by a Black woman on Broadway. 

“George C Wolfe’s exquisite production of Gypsy managed to both capture the full integrity of the original, without changing a word, and at the same time brought a historic new level of depth with his casting the magnificent Audra McDonald. He shed a complex light of racial awareness on this quintessential American story, one that would make Arthur, the lifelong advocate for social justice, extremely proud,” said David Saint, spokesperson for the Laurents Estate.

“This production of GYPSY made a once-in-a-lifetime event out of arguably the most revered American musical,” said Rick Pappas, spokesperson for the Sondheim Estate. “With George C. Wolfe’s sharp and illuminating direction and a performance for the ages from one of our greatest living performers, Audra McDonald, its legacy is etched in Broadway history.  Steve and Audra had a conversation about roles in his canon she should tackle, and they agreed “Rose” should top that list.  We know he would have been thrilled with everything this historic production came to be on stage.”