Between “Porgy” performances Wednesday, McDonald, 41, talked about the flare-up, leaving ABC’s “Private Practice” after four seasons, and her upcoming Washington Performing Arts Society appearance Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall.
Were you surprised to be so aggressively called out by Stephen Sondheim?
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting it. I was not surprised by his passion. I know how much he’s always talked about how much he loves the piece. I respect him as a composer; I think he’s a brilliant composer. And that’s about it.
You quoted a Sondheim song in a tweet — “Art isn’t easy” — as tongues were wagging about this. Was the criticism hard to cope with?
Sure. We hadn’t done one single performance yet. I think the hardest thing for me was that . . . I’ve always had an incredible love for this piece and always will. And for that particular interview, that didn’t come across. So then it gets thrown out there that you don’t love and respect the piece.
Did you worry that the controversy would keep the show from transferring to Broadway this winter as planned?
No, I never did. The wonderful thing about “Porgy and Bess” is that it has endured all these years in many, many different versions. That’s the thing: when people say “the original,” it’s hard to know what the original was.
Have you heard from Sondheim since?
Ohhhh, umm, not about the letter. We’ve not spoken about the letter.
That sounds like you’ve spoken about other things.
Well, I’m not saying that. But we’ve not spoken about the letter. (Chuckles.)
Did you get other pushback in Boston?
Everybody has a very specific and personal opinion about “Porgy and Bess.” It’s so varied that I don’t think there has been any specific pushback. I don’t think that there have been any protestors out here saying, you know, “Bring back the goat!”
What, for you, was the allure of being in “Porgy and Bess”?
It’s some of the most glorious music ever written, and Bess is a character that I’m intrigued by. I carry the Dubose Heyward book, “Porgy,” with me. I have it highlighted like it was a college textbook. It’s a big, big challenge, and the hardest role I’ve ever played. From a character standpoint, and vocally and emotionally, it takes me a long time to recover. It takes me a long time to get the [makeup] scar off my face, and I use that time to sort of peel Bess off and go back to being Audra.
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