Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

About

Originally premiered at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA in 1986, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill follows the life of yesteryear jazz singer Billie Holiday. Set in a run-down bar, the play takes place during the months preceding the singer's death in 1959. With Jimmy Powers accompanying her on the piano, she sings and recounts stories about herself. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson took on the role of the protagonist in the play's off-Broadway production in 1987. The story received critical acclaim for its depiction of Billie Holiday and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Book the same year. It features popular songs like "When a Woman Loves a Man," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Crazy He Calls Me," "Easy Livin'" and more.