Stage Scenes: Audra McDonald - Slide Show - NYTimes.com Audra McDonald, near her New York State country home, is one of Broadway's most acclaimed homegrown stars. Five years ago she stunned her admirers by decamping to Los Angeles to appear on the ABC series "Private Practice." Now she has come back to Broadway, in "The Gershwins" Porgy and Bess," and her performance as Bess has earned her superlative reviews and a Tony Award nomination, her seventh in 18 years.