Talk Show Queen Oprah Winfrey Looks to Make Broadway Debut Opposite Audra McDonald in 'Night, Mother

Oprah Winfrey is keeping her promise to act on Broadway, eyeing a debut opposite Audra McDonald in a revival of the suicide drama 'Night, Mother. According to The New York Times, the iconic talk show host and the five-time Tony winner plan to team up in the play sometime during the 2015-2016 season under the direction of George C. Wolfe.

'Night, Mother earned Marsha Norman (who is currently hard at work on the new musical The Bridges of Madison County) a Pulitzer Prize for drama when it debuted on Broadway in 1983, with Anne Pitoniak and Kathy Bates in the leads. It was last seen on Broadway in a short-lived 2004 revival featuring Brenda Blethyn and Edie Falco. The tragic two-hander tells the story of a mother trying to convince her suicidal daughter to not end her life. Yes, bring tissues. 

Winfrey was recently robbed of an Oscar nomination for her acclaimed film comeback role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. In addition to healing the world with her syndicated talk show for 25 years, she famously starred in the 1985 film of The Color Purple and produced the musical version on Broadway in 2005 (Norman wrote the book to the musical).

Of course, McDonald is one of the finest actresses working on Broadway today. She's won Tony Awards for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun and Porgy and Bess.

According to the report, Winfrey and McDonald read the play together one night in the apartment of producer Scott Sanders. Somehow our invite got lost in the mail.