Graphic Art by Brandon J. Wallace
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL
by Lanie Robertson​
musical arrangements by Danny Holgate
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THE STORY: In March 1959, four months before her passing, Billie
Holiday gives an unforgettable performance at Emerson’s Bar &
Grill in South Philadelphia. However, her songs are just one part of
the show. In between renditions of some of her greatest hits, like
“Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child,” Billie fights to shape her
own legacy and revitalize her career amid her personal memories
of hardship and physical addiction in this immersive cabaret
experience that marks the directorial debut of Pulitzer nominated artist, Nikkole Salter.
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL Baltimore Center Stage 23-24 Season Sept 14 - October 15, 2023 photo by Jill Fannon
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL Baltimore Center Stage 23-24 Season Sept 14 - October 15, 2023 photo by Jill Fannon Tanea Reneé as Billie Holiday
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL Baltimore Center Stage 23-24 Season Sept 14 - October 15, 2023 photo by Jill Fannon Tanea Reneé as Billie Holiday
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL Baltimore Center Stage 23-24 Season Sept 14 - October 15, 2023 photo by Jill Fannon
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL was produced by Baltimore Center Stage (under the leadership of Interim Artistic Director Ken-Matt Martin and Managing Director Adam Frank) and played in their Head Theatre from September 14 - October 15, 2023, directed by Nikkole Salter, assistant directed by Jeff Kirkman, III and Musical Directed by Nolan Williams Jr. Due to popular demand, the production was extended for one additional week of performances even before it opened on September 22, 2023. LADY DAT AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL was first produced in New York by the Vineyard Theatre.
Starring: (l to r) Tanea Renee, Terry Brewer, Eliot Seppa, Francis Carroll & Brittani Arlandis Green(u/s)
Lighting Design: Jorge Arroyo Assistant Lighting Designer: William Brown
Scenic Design: Sydney Lynn Assistant Scenic Designer: Alyssa Moon Thompson
Costume Design: Moyenda Kulemeka Sound Design: Uptown Works
Musical Direction: Nolan Williams, Jr. Hair/Wig & Make Up: Cherelle D. Guyton
Assistant Director: Jeff Kirkman, III Stage Manager: Kacey Bradshaw
Assistant Stage Manager: Alexis E. Davis Production Assistant: Shaquan Pearson
Director of Production: Jeff Bazemore Assistant Production Manger: Sammy Brown
Director of Artistic Producing: Sarah Cain Company Management - Bridgette Burton
General Management - Jeff Kirkman, III
Musical Consultant: Terry Brewer
Casting: JZ Casting, Geoff Josselson - CSA; Katja Zarolinski - CSA
LINKS TO PRESS & REVIEWS FROM THE BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE PRODUCTION
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Hotchka - 'Baltimore Center Stage Presents Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill - REVIEW
By: CHUCK DUNCAN 09/23/2023
"Also amazing is this entire production. Staged by director Nikkole Salter in Center Stage’s Head Theatre, you are immediately transported to Emerson’s Bar and Grill from the moment you enter the space. In addition to the traditional theatre seating (in an almost but not quite in-the-round setting) there are tables and chairs on the floor to give those audience members the true feeling of being in a nightclub. Salter gives Renee the freedom to leave the performance stage and saunter around among the ‘patrons’ of Emerson’s, truly transporting you back to that moment in 1959. The nightclub lighting is augmented with some other lighting cues, such as flickering stage lights to signify we’re going into a memory hole with Billie, and a moment during one of her stories where the entire room is bathed in red light to signify her rage... Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is one of the must-see shows of the season. If you’re in Baltimore, or planning to be in Baltimore, do yourself a favor and make plans to see this show. And you even have more time to see it as the producers announced a one-week extension on opening night! You will be left singing the blues if you don’t catch Tanea Renee as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill at Baltimore Center Stage."
MARYLAND THEATRE GUIDE - 'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill at Baltimore Centerstage - REVIEW
By: HERB MERRICK 09/24/2023
"Director Nikkole Salter allowed the audience to experience Billie Holiday’s warmth, humor, anger, sadness, and determination...A good director also pays attention to the little details, such as Ms. Renee leaving the stage, Mr. Brewer playing a wonderful jazz interlude, and then Ms. Renee returning with a larger glass of alcohoL"
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DC THEATRE ARTS - 'Rising Hometown Star Glows in 'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill' - REVIEW
By: MALCOLM LEWIS BARNES 09/24/2023
" The other reason to see Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is the presence of Nikkole Salter, who is making her directorial debut as a Pulitzer Prize-nominated [writer] of eight full-length plays including In the Continuum, which she co-authored and performed off-Broadway and which also won her an Obie award as Best New American Play.
As a dramatist and stage actor with extensive credentials including her star role as Lady Macbeth at DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, Salter has a signature style that is all over Lady Day and the confident development of Tanea Renee as a rising hometown star."