Broadway star Audra McDonald reflects on what "legend" means to her

When Audra McDonald won her first Tony Award at 23, it was just the beginning of a record-breaking Broadway career. Earlier this month, she received her 11th Tony nomination, making her the most Tony-nominated actor of all time.

McDonald received the nomination for her portrayal of Mama Rose in the latest Broadway revival of "Gypsy." If she wins this Sunday, she'll make history as the performer with the most Tonys ever.

Before she discovered the stage, McDonald described herself as a hyperactive kid who would express her emotions frequently.

"I had big feelings. I had music in my heart. And so once I found theater, it was like I have a place to put my big feelings now," she said.

Those emotions are on full display as Mama Rose, a character based on the real-life mother of famed burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee. It is currently being shown at the Majestic Theatre. In the musical, Mama Rose is an intense stage mom.

McDonald first stepped into the role during a concert at Carnegie Hall in 2022, performing the musical's emotional climax "Rose's Turn."

"It was the same time of year that I was getting ready to send my daughter off to college. And I was dealing with all this rage I was having at my sweet, wonderful daughter," McDonald said. "And I burst into tears and I realized it's because my baby's leaving and I'm sad. So then that was my first sort, like, emotional dive into Rose."

McDonald is the first Black woman to portray Mama Rose on Broadway. Director George C. Wolfe guided her interpretation of what Rose would be experiencing in the 1920s and 30s, with not one word of the original script changed.

"George talks a lot about Rose's obsession with the kids becoming stars is because being a star protects you in some way. You got star money, you could eat. You got star money, maybe you won't be lynched," McDonald explained. "And so she as a single woman at this time, abandoned three times by her husbands, abandoned by her mother, not really treated all that well by her father, she's tryin' to protect these babies."

The "CBS Mornings" interview went backstage to find out what happens when the curtain closes. McDonald and her co-star Danny Burstein are "of a certain age," she laughed, noting they don't run up the stairs after performances.

McDonald showed how she warms up to take on the demanding role.

"One thing that a lotta singers do is humming. Just like (humming), you're doing things like that just to sort of and people do that, whether you're singing or not. It's good just to sort of make sure that everything's sort of moving and healthy. And you know, to do it eight times a week," she said.

Despite her countless accolades, McDonald still struggles with being called a legend.

"If it can mean something to some little Black girl somewhere who says 'She did it and she looks like me so I can do it,' great," she said. "But I can't really comprehend what that means to me about me. You know what I mean? 'Cause I can't, you know, as I see how dirty my closet is, and the fact that I have not done laundry in four weeks."

When asked about her own legends, McDonald became emotional while naming the likes of Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee and Lena Horne.

"They're not here. And they meant a lot to me. I could see them. They were doing it. They looked like me," she said.

The 78th Annual Tony Awards will take place this Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. You can watch the on CBS and stream live on Paramount+