Shuffle Along's Audra McDonald is Pregnant! Six-Time Tony Winner Postpones West End Debut in Lady Day

There's going to be a new addition to Eggfartopia! Shuffle Along headliner Audra McDonald and her hubby Will Swenson are expecting a baby. As a result, the six-time Tony winner's West End debut this summer in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill will be postponed. McDonald will begin her maternity leave from Shuffle Along on July 24, with Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens stepping into the role of Lottie Gee.

“Who knew that tap dancing during perimenopause could lead to pregnancy?" said McDonald in a statement. Will and I are completely surprised—and elated—to be expecting a new addition to our family. I am so very grateful to everyone in New York and London for allowing me to rearrange my schedule to accommodate this little miracle. While I’m disappointed I have to postpone my West End debut in Lady Day, I’m glad I’ll be able to spend a little more time in Shuffle Along this summer and will look forward to setting up a 1920s-themed nursery in my dressing room when I return to the show.”

The couple married in 2012. While this is their first child together, McDonald is mom to a daughter, Zoe, and he is dad to two sons, Bridger and Sawyer, from their previous marriages.

McDonald won her history-making sixth Tony in 2014 for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day, a role she recently reprised on screen for HBO. She also garnered Tonys for her work in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, A Raisin in the Sun, Ragtime, Master Class and Carousel. Upcoming screen credits include the live-action Beauty and the Beast and film adaptation of Hello Again. Swenson received a Tony nomination for Hair. His additional Broadway credits include Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, 110 in the Shade, Lestate and Brooklyn: the Musical. He will star in The Pirates of Penzance this summer as part of Barrington Stage Company's 2016 season.

Congratulations from all of us here at Broadway.com to the entire McDonald-Swenson clan!


The McDonald-Swenson family; photo by Bruce Glikas