LADY DAY
At Emerson’s Bar
and Grill
Vintage Theatre: 1/12 – 2/18
Mary Louise Lee as Billie Holiday
(Photo credit:RDG Photography)
You owe it to yourself to see
“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.” Currently on view at Vintage Theatre, the
show will move to The Garner Galleria after it closes on February 18.
It’s this critic’s not so humble opinion
that this collaboration between the Denver Center Theatre Company and Vintage
is a giant step forward for the Denver theatre community. This bridging of the
gap between the Plex and the outlying theatres is a dream come true.
Lanie Robertson’s play has been produced
twice before, and this is the third time that Mary Louise Lee has portrayed Ms.
Holiday.
To get to see her perform the role in the
Jeffrey Nickelson auditorium at The Vintage Theatre is a great honor. Nickelson,
a beloved actor/director and producer, passed away shortly after moving his
Shadow Theatre to the space in which Vintage now resides.
Playwright Robertson sets the play in 1959,
where Billie Holiday is performing at The Emerson Bar and Grill just a few
months before her death. The play is peppered with anecdotes and memories that
are by turns heart-wrenching and humorous.
Whether singing classic songs such as “God
Bless the Child Who Got His Own” or “Strange Fruit,” Denver’s first lady, Mary
Louise Lee, is luminous as legendary jazz singer, Billie Holiday. Her
performance is nuanced in such a way as to provide us as audience with glimpses
of this iconic artist’s multi-faceted persona.
Music director Trent Hines accompanies Ms.
Lee as well as performing the part of Jimmy Powers, Holiday’s shy and
supportive lover.
Betty Hart’s clear-eyed direction brings out
all the humor and pathos in the story of this artist’s life.
Phil Cope’s eye-pleasing scenic design, graced
with signature gardenias, gives us a raised stage before a faux proscenium with
purple curtain that’s flanked by a grand piano and a bar.
“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar
and Grill”
The life of the legendary Billie Holiday is told through the songs
that made her famous.
This performance contains adult language and
content.
90 minutes – no intermission
Vintage Theatre presents
Jan. 12 – Feb 18*
Fri/Sat and Mon., Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Sun. at 2:30 p.m.; Thurs.,
Feb 1, 8 and 15 at 7:30 p.m.
$15 - $34
*
No comments:
Post a Comment