Broadway’s Majestic Theatre will see a huge comeback with six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald starring in all-time favorite musical “Gypsy.” The venue closed for renovations last year, following the conclusion of “The Phantom of the Opera” engagement it housed from 1988 to 2023, which marked the longest-running production in the history of the Great White Way.

McDonald will portray the lead role, Rose, in the musical which will begin preview performances on November 21 ahead of the opening on December 19. First premiered in 1959, “Gypsy” features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim.

George C. Wolfe, who received Tony Awards for “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” and “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk,” helms the direction of the show, while Camille A. Brown owns the choreography.

Scheduled to be the first production to play the Majestic since April 2023, the upcoming staging of “Gypsy” will be the fifth Broadway revival of the show. The original Broadway production opened in May 1959 at The Broadway Theatre, and featured Ethel Merman as Rose. The 1973 revival was followed by the 1989, 2003, and 2008 productions, starring Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Linda Lavin (who replaced Daly), Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone, respectively.

“Gypsy” follows the dreams of Rose, the mother of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, to raise two daughters to perform onstage while approaching to the difficulties of show business life with an affectionate eye. It is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.

The production belongs to Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs who said regarding the new revival: “When we began this journey, we had the specific dream of pairing Audra McDonald, our most lauded stage actress, with legendary director George C. Wolfe in a musical deemed by many to be the greatest. Sometimes the theatre gods smile upon us. This is one such time.”

McDonald’s Tony Awards include her roles in Carousel (1994), Master Class (1996), Ragtime (1998), A Raisin in the Sun (2004), Porgy and Bess (2012), and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (2014). She also received two Grammys and an Emmy Award.

Additional casting and members of the creative team will be revealed at a later date.