Cold Virus Sidelines ‘Gypsy’ Broadway Show and It’s Star

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also that time of year when germs and colds, or worse, run amok.

A strain of a cold virus has hit the stage of Broadway during their busiest time, with not only a good amount of cast, but also the star of the show under the weather. The production of Gypsy at the Majestic Theatre was forced to shut down for seven different performances after their leading lady, Audra McDonald, was hit with a cold.

Posting on her social media, McDonald had high hopes of possibly being able to perform, even with the cold, she wrote, “So I’m hoping all of you that are coming to the shows this holiday week can give a little grace to us folks up onstage and backstage as well. Maybe not the most perfectly sung notes or spoken lines OR if you come to the theater to find out that one of our glorious understudies or swings are on.”

However, McDonald’s was ultimately unable to give the performance she hoped for, thus leaving the production with no choice but to cancel the multiple shows.

Typically, the understudy steps in when an actor can’t perform their role. But when your star is McDonald, it’s tough to find someone who can match her talent as seamlessly. McDonald is a living Broadway legend with 6 Tony wins to her name. She has more performance wins than any other actor and is also the only actor to have won in all four acting categories, including the best actress in a play or musical. McDonald also has 2 Grammy Awards and 1 Emmy win as well.

Thankfully, the show was able to go on last night as Gypsy reopened to a packed house with McDonald on stage. The show had just opened on December 19th before being hit with the virus. Tickets are available through June for those unlucky audience members who could not exchange their tickets for another performance.

Gypsy is the story of a stubborn stage mother, Rose, whom McDonald portrays, and her two daughters, June and Louise as they navigate the vaudeville and burlesque stages in the 1920s and 30s. Iconic songs like Let Me Entertain You and Everything’s Coming Up Roses have been an off-and-on staple of Broadway since 1959 with lyrics by another Broadway legend, Stephen Sondheim who wrote the lyrics to West Side Story.