Grammy Winner Rhiannon Giddens Will Step in for Audra McDonald in Shuffle Along; Savion Glover Will Also Tap In!

Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens will shuffle along to her Broadway debut this summer. The folk singer will step into the role of Lottie Gee in the Tony nominated Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.

The news arrives hot on the heels of Audra McDonald’s announcement that she and husband Will Swenson are expecting a baby. McDonald is set to play her final performance on July 24; she was initially slated to leave on June 20 to make her West End debut in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. The production has been postponed, and McDonald is set to return to Shuffle Along this winter.

During the hiatus, the show’s Tony-winning choreographer Savion Glover will also step into the musical. Details on Glover’s track have yet to be announced. Broadway.com recently spoke with Glover and director George C. Wolfe, during which time the two joked about the idea of the choreographer taking center stage at the Music Box Theatre.

Giddens’ solo album Tomorrow Is My Turn debuted in February 2015 and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. As part of the band Caroline Chocolate Drops, she won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for Genuine Negro Jig and was nominated again for Leaving Eden. She is also a classically trained vocalist.

Glover is a longtime collaborator with Wolfe: he won a Tony for choreographing Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk (for which he was also nominated for his performance) and appeared in Jelly’s Last Jam. Glover earned an additional Tony nod for his featured role in Black and Blue and is nominated this year for Shuffle Along.

The new show explores the backstory of the 1921 musical Shuffle Along as it follows the creative team and performers who brought it to life. In addition to McDonald, the current cast features Tony nominees Brandon Victor Dixon and Adrienne Warren, as well as Billy Porter, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Joshua Henry and Brooks Ashmanskas.