Cheers to The Haters: Audra McDonald and the Power of Quiet Excellence

Someday, I’ll write about my haters. But that day is not today. Today is about the small corner of the internet where Broadway lovers and readers of the New Yorker are embroiled in a cultural kerfuffle that has folks either dramatically clutching pearls, furiously typing their takes or quietly enjoying the theater of it all. The drama is centered on comments made by multiple Tony-winner Patti LuPone, known for her own brand of brash, about two other acclaimed actresses. One of them would be the singular, stately, six-time Tony Award–winning Audra McDonald, a titan in our midst whose poise and power have long been unmatched. And yes, I’m biased.

Patti, in a recent tirade originally published in The New Yorker and analyzed yesterday by The NY Times, called the esteemed actress and Tony winner Kecia Lewis “a bitch” and then chided Audra for her support of Kecia, before making a blatantly disrespectful and small minded dig at Audra’s current Tony nominated performance in “Gypsy.”

So, that’s the controversy. And it got me thinking. So, I just have a few thoughts to share about this hateration in the dancery (shout out to Mary J. Blige).

First thought. Haters have a job. They clock in early, skip lunch and stay late. And they only show up when you’re glowing. They don’t just dislike you… they report on you.

They post, they whisper, they text like it’s a secret, they gossip in interviews. All of that is really just devotion in disguise.

So let them clock in. Let them sit in the break room and analyze your light. That’s their job.

If you’re Audra, you don’t collect six Tonys making you the most decorated performer in Tony history and the only performer to win in all four acting categories, by shrinking at criticism. You do it by being a force of nature. By pouring thunder into your soprano and still managing to whisper heartbreak. By showing up on stages and screens and making us feel like we’ve touched something holy.

You know, I cold-called Audra once. She didn’t know me well, but I had a role in my most recent film ORIGIN that I thought only she could play. It was a one day part. No glamor. No big check. And two flights from New York City just to get to the set in Savannah, Georgia.

I needed a powerhouse who could come in and knock the scene out of the park with our leading lady Aunjanue Ellis Taylor with only one day of prep. Audra didn’t know me. And she said yes.

She arrived with grace, rehearsal-ready, warm-hearted. She wrapped herself in the role, wrapped us in her light. The monologue she delivered that day… just one day… is one of the most talked-about scenes in the film. People cried. Critics noticed. Her few minutes on screen are monumental. As is Audra.

All this to say, be the queen in every scenario you can. Be the woman who gets on the plane, delivers the monologue, changes the room and keeps it moving.

Let them call you whatever they want. To quote the internet: You hate me, but you’re still watching? Sweetie… you’re a fan.

Happy, successful folks don’t throw darts at other folks. They don’t need to. Criticism is often a confession. The words people choose reflect their wounds, not your worth.

We know that nobody watches you harder than the people who can’t stand you.

And to that, Audra has decided to give them a show. Because this week, while a petty person took a swipe in an interview, Audra casually appears on the COVER OF “TIME” MAGAZINE. Talk about a mic drop. Damn.

So cheers to the haters. To them I say, be patient. Much more is coming. From Audra. From Kecia. From all of us who you need to put down to feel tall. Keep doing your job. And we’ll keep doing ours.

Onward,

Ava

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