A new Broadway revival of Gypsy has been announced, starring Audra McDonald as Mama Rose.
The classic musical by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents will open in December, with previews beginning in November.
The show will be performing at the newly renovated Majestic Theatre for the first time since “The Phantom of the Opera” closed after a 35-year run.
First revealed by the New York Post, Macdonald will be playing the role of ultimate stage mom in the upcoming revival.
Considered one of the greatest musicals of all time, Gypsy tells the story of an ambitious mother trying to launch her two daughters into show business.
Ethel Merman first played Rose in 1959, and the role has since been played by such theatre legends as Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone.
The casting sets up a battle for a Tony on Broadway next year between McDonald and Nicole Scherzinger, who began playing Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's “Sunset Boulevard” a few weeks ago.
The former Pussycat Doll won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in London for the role.
McDonald has won six Tony Awards for her roles in Carousel (1994), Master Class (1996), Ragtime (1998), A Raisin (2004), Porgy and Bess (2012) and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (2014).
The soprano has also appeared in a number of TV series, including Private Practice and The Good Wife.