This episode is a love letter to the one, the only, the 6-time Tony-winning icon herself: Miss Audra McDonald. We may be making that 7 this June... who knows?

That’s right — an entire episode devoted to the queen- or currently, the Mama- of Broadway. We get into the roles, the vocals, the gowns, the gravitas, and the moments that moved our little theater kid hearts.

Plus: we’re heading into a little hiatus, but fear not — This Might Be Niche will be back this summer with more notes, deep dives, and possibly too many opinions. Until then, enjoy this Audra appreciation fest and keep it niche.

This week we dive into Redwood, the musical that gave us queen Idina Menzel in full belting, boot-stomping, soul-baring glory — and, well… not much else that worked.

Listeners, we recorded this before the show announced its closing, so consider this episode a heartfelt (and mildly chaotic) tribute. There was direction by the visionary Tina Landau. There were trees. There was Idina Menzel singing upside down from those trees. And there were many notes.

We break it all down, with love and some gentle questioning— and then we wrap things up with our favorite segment: Kvetching from Our Seats.

RIP to a Broadway fever dream. Long live our queen.

Mama’s talkin’ loud, and she's also singing high. We’re breaking down the Gypsy revival (or according to the marquee: "Audra: Gypsy") starring the legend herself, Audra McDonald, with Danny Burstein, Joy Woods, and Jordan Tyson rounding out this powerhouse cast.

We get into the big questions: Where does Audra’s Rose land in the canon of titanic performances? We dive into the mythology around Gypsy itself, why it looms so large, and how this revival adds a new chapter. As always, we’ve got thoughts. Honestly... more story about the stripping.

Come for the hot takes, stay for the kvetching. You know how it goes.