|
Regional Reviews: Florida - Southern Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
April 7th marked the centennial of Billie Holiday's birth; she died at the age of 44 in 1959. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill is inspired by a performance she gave before a very small audience in a Philadelphia club (not named Emerson's Bar & Grill) just four months before her death. Robertson heard about the performance through a friend and used it as the impetus for a piece in which Lady Day, a nickname given to Holiday by the great saxophonist Lester Young, intertwines more than a dozen songs with her harrowing life story. She was, by then, a shell of her former self, her vocal skills diminished due to too many years of heroin and alcohol abuse. But despite her vocal shortcomings, her connection to her music and to her audience never wavered. Among the songs heard in the show are "God Bless the Child" (which she co-wrote), "Crazy He Calls Me," "T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do," and "Strange Fruit," a powerful protest song about lynching. "Strange Fruit" was normally Billie's closing song—after which she would refuse to take requests or do encores. Palm Beach Dramaworks production features scenic design by Jeff Cowie that immerses the audience in a nightclub. The arch of the stage is reframed, with a full bar stage right and a raised platform for the musicians stage left. Tones of burgundy are given texture and depth by lighting design by Kirk Bookman, who has avoided the shadowy feel of a club of lesser quality. Costume design by Leslye Menshouse places actress Tracey Conyer Lee (Billie Holiday) in an elegant white cocktail dress. Though she doesn't get a costume change in the show, it is still lovely and in period. Sound design by Richard Szczublewski is spot on for this production as there is never an unbalanced or muffled moment in the show. Brian Whitted does double duty as both musical director and Holiday's accompanist Jimmy Powers. In truth, the character isn't given much in the way of acting opportunities, but Whitted plays the heck out of the piano, and together with bassist Phil McArthur, deftly frames Ms. Lee as Billie Holiday in song after song. The script for this show unfortunately feels a bit pat. Trying to make so many facts and random quotes, all packed into one evening, sound organic is an acting challenge. Add to that the daunting task of finding an actress who can sing like Billie Holiday. Tracey Conyer Lee approximates the generally vocal placement of Billie Holiday, and gets most of her eccentric phrasing, but fails to capture her signature plaintive sound and the little vocal catches with which her voice is associated. She gets closer as the show goes on, and is at her best during the last third of the songs, but is too smooth and controlled for most of it. Her best acting moments are in her longer monologues; however, she is sometimes too deliberate in her interactions with Jimmy and her transitions in and out of songs. She aptly conveys Billie's need for love and acceptance, and her connection to singing. She is missing some of Billie's compelling vulnerability, made even more poignant as she bares her sole before our eyes. As a Billie Holiday fan I can say that Billie was a strong stage presence but not a great "lady." Hence, the term Lady Day was added to give her the perception of having more class. Lee needs to carry herself with less polish and be more emotionally raw for this piece to hit home the way that it should. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill premiered at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in April of 1986. The show opened Off-Broadway two months later at the Vineyard Theatre, and has played numerous regional productions since then. It had its Broadway premiere on April 13, 2014, as Audra McDonald took on the title role at Circle in the Square. The Broadway production received two Tony Awards and one Drama Desk Award. The scheduled 10-week run finally closed on October 5, 2014, after its fourth extension. The other works of playwright Lanie Robertson include the bio-dramas Nasty Little Secrets, Alfred Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe, Woman Before a Glass, and The Gardener. Robertson is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Writers Guild East, and the Society des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques. The Palm Beach Dramaworks production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill will be appearing at Don & Ann Brown Theatre through June 14, 2015. For tickets and information you may reach them by phone at 561-514-4042, 561-514-4042, or online at www.palmbeachdramaworks.org. Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional not-for-profit theatre company hiring local and non-local Equity and non-Equity actors and actresses. Their goal is to engage and entertains audiences with provocative and timeless productions that personally impact each individual. The theatre is located at 201 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Cast: Crew: *Indicates a member of Actor's Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. **Indicates a member of the Stage Director and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
|
