Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill
by Lanie Robertson

Name: Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill
Brand: Lanie Robertson
SKU: 9780573681844
Rating: 3.91 (42 reviews)

Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill Book Cover — Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

90 mins1950sRole(s) for Black Actor(s)Bare Stage/Simple SetPeriod CostumesAmerican Black History

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk AwardOuter Critics CircleTony Award

Winner! 2014 Tony® Award, Best Actress in a Play Winner! 2014 Drama Desk Award, Best Actress in a Play Winner! 2014 Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Actress in a Musical

What readers are saying

Audiences are captivated by the powerful storytelling and emotional depth in the depiction of Billie Holiday's life. Many appreciate the combination of humor and tragedy, highlighting the talent of the actress portraying her. Overall, the play resonates well, though some express concerns about its reception among diverse audiences.

Powerful storytellingEmotional depthTalented performanceConcerns about audience reception

Synopsis

The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia.

The audience is about to witness one of Billie Holiday's last performances given four months before her death.

More than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty often humorous reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the lady and her music.

Press Reviews

"The richest jazz singing in town just now... Evokes all the sordidness of a woman entirely shaped by suffering... Robertson's play is a spare, shrewdly constructed piece."
— The New York Times

"A searing portrait of a woman whose art was triumphant."
— OnStage

"Original and riveting."
— The London Times

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Jimmy Powers A piano player, any age	—	—	A piano player, any age
Billie Holiday The great jazz singer in the last year of her life, age 44	female	—	The great jazz singer in the last year of her life, age 44