From the moment I heard “Wheels of a Dream” from my beat-up, library copy of the soundtrack from the musical Ragtime, I was an Audra McDonald fan. I was so inspired by her vocals in that song in particular, although it’s only one of her many shining moments, I would actually listen to it on the way to my tennis tournaments in high school. When I heard this four-time Tony award winner was coming to Ann Arbor, I bought my tickets within the minute of replying to my friend’s text and placing my order online. The University Musical Society describes McDonald as “a restlessly creative spirit who is reluctant to be typecast strictly as a musical theater artist, despite her enormous success in that genre.” Some of her other work, as listed on Wikipedia, includes: Carousel (1994), A Raisin in the Sun (2008), and currently as Bess in Porgy and Bess on Broadway this season. It is sure to be a phenomenal performance and I hope you can all attend!
And just to share how epic that song I mentioned is, here’s a link to Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald singing “Wheels of a Dream,” enjoy!
