Shuffle Along's Audra McDonald is pregnant

Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald has confirmed that she is pregnant and must postpone her upcoming West End debut in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill at the Wyndham's Theatre in London. This means, however, that she will be able to remain with her current Broadway show SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed for a little longer, before she departs on maternity leave from 24 July. Ms McDonald was originally scheduled to be in London from 20 June to 11 September 2016. She has also confirmed that she will return to Shuffle Along at Broadway's Music Box Theatre this Winter.

She released the following statement:

"Who knew that tap dancing during perimenopause could lead to pregnancy? 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."

This is her first child with actor Will Swenson, who she married in 2012, although she already has a daughter Zoe and Mr Swenson has two sons, Bridger and Sawyer, from their previous marriages.

In further news, producers have also announced that Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens will step into the role of Lottie Gee during Ms McDonald's maternity leave and the show's choreographer and Tony winner Savion Glover will also join the cast during this time period.

This marks Ms Giddens' Broadway debut. She won a Grammy Award in 2011 for "Best Traditional Folk Album" with her band Carolina Chocolate Drops. The group's studio albums include "Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind," "Heritage," "Genuine Negro Jig," and "Leaving Eden." Her solo albums include "We Rise," and "Tomorrow Is My Turn."

Mr Glover has previously performed on Broadway in 'The Tap Dance Kid,' and 'Black and Blue' (for which he earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1989) and 'Jelly's Last Jam.' He won a Tony for Best Choreography and earned a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical in 1996 for 'Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk.' He has also been nominated for Best Choreography at this year's Tony Awards ceremony for his current work on Shuffle Along.

SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed began previews at Broadway's Music Box Theatre on 15 March 2016 and officially opened on 28 April 2016. The musical is currently booking through to 9 October 2016.

SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed is conceived by Flournoy Miller & Aubrey Lyles, and features music & lyrics by Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle, and a book by George C. Wolfe, who also serves as Director.

Synopsis: "In May 1921, Shuffle Along, a new musical conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles with music and lyrics by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, became the unlikeliest of hits, significantly altering the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. In April 2016 — 95 years later — SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, will be a backstage musical telling the story of the creation of this transformative but now forgotten show.
By the time Shuffle Along stumbled into town after a back-breaking pre-Broadway tour, it was deeply in debt and set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. In a season full of spectacles, such as Sally — a Ziegfeld musical comedy — and another edition of George White's Scandals, Shuffle Along's failure was almost a foregone conclusion. New York City was still in the throes of the Depression of 1920. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical. But with an infectious jazz score and exuberant dancing, Shuffle Along ignited not just Broadway but all of New York City. George Gershwin, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson, Langston Hughes, and famed critic George Jean Nathan were among the many fans who repeatedly flocked to West 63rd Street to see a cast which — during its run of 504 performances — featured such soon-to-be theatrical luminaries as Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington, and Adelaide Hall. Because of Shuffle Along, Uptown and Downtown met and became one."

The cast currently includes six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Lottie Gee), Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (F.E. Miller), Tony winner Billy Porter (Aubrey Lyles), Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (Noble Sissle) and Tony nominee Joshua Henry (Eubie Blake), with Phillip Attmore, Alexandria Bradley, Darlesia Cearcy, Darius De Haas, C.K. Edwards, Leo Ash Evens, Afra Hines, Curtis Holland, Jason Holley, Adrienne Howard, Lee Howard, Kendrick Jones, Lisa Latouche, Alicia Lundgren, JC Montgomery, Erin N. Moore, Janelle Neal, Brittany Parks, Arbender Robinson, Karissa Royster, Britton Smith, Zurin Villanueva, Christian Dante White, Joseph Wiggan, Pamela Yasutake, Richard Riaz Yoder and Brooks Ashmanskas.

SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed features choreography by Savion Glover, music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Daryl Waters, musical direction by Shelton Becton, scenic design by Santo Loquasto, costume design by Ann Roth, and lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. It is produced on Broadway by Scott Rudin.

- by Tom Millward

Audra McDonald Rhiannon GiddensSavion Glover