Review | Audra McDonald Brings the Great American Songbook to Vibrant Life at UC Santa Barbara

“Somewhere,” the iconic love song from West Side Story, is one of those songs that, despite the fact that I’ve heard it a million times, still gives me goosebumps every time I hear the words, “There’s a place for us,” being sung. But when the place is the intimate space of UCSB’s Campbell Hall, and the voice is Audra McDonald’s, that already special song from what she dubbed, “the most perfect musical ever,” becomes even more memorable.

If there is indeed such a thing as a “soprano card” — which she joked you don’t get until you perform “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, as she did most ably — Audra’s McDonald’s face should definitely adorn that deck. As she proved over and over again throughout her journey through the Great American Musical Songbook in a UCSB Arts & Lectures presentation on November 30, she truly is one of the queens of beautiful and emotive voices. 

Seeing musical theater songs performed in concert — without context of story or sets and choreography — is always a little bit risky, but McDonald’s vocal and emotional prowess provided more than enough stagecraft to captivate our attention and hold it all night. Despite having the amazing voice of a diva, her banter was so down-to-earth and relatable that it made her even more impressive. 

I was particularly engaged by some of the songs I was less familiar with, like “Mr. Snow” from Carousel, “I Always Say Hello to a Flower,” the incredible verbal gymnastics of “Can’t Stop Talking About Him” from Let’s Dance, “Stars & the Moon” from Songs for a New World, and “Cornet Man” from Funny Girl. There was a lesser known Sondheim song called “What Can You Lose” from the movie Dick Tracy. And she even added in Kermit the Frog’s “It’s Not Easy Being Green” for good measure. 

But she also did the true classics proud, with “Summertime” from Porgy & Bess, “Children Will Listen,” from Into the Woods, and “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello Dolly! in her repertoire.
“I’m often asked about how I pick songs,” said McDonald, toward the end of a truly entertaining evening. “I look for a song that has the message to be here now.”  She ended the night with the iconic “Over the Rainbow,” from The Wizard of Oz, and a message for all of us to “dream big and love bigger”— an easy message to believe in after an uplifting night like that.