‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ by Lanie Robertson. Directed by Candice Handy. Music Direction by David Freeman Coleman. Scenic Design by Tony Hardin. Costume Design by Yao Chen. Lighting Design by Brian Lillienthal. Sound Design by David Remedios. At Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell, MA. Run has ended.
By Shelley A. Sackett
I was lucky enough to squeeze into the next to the last balcony row at the sold-out last performance of ‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ at Merrimack Repertory Theatre. Based on comments by colleagues and friends, Jenece Upton in the title role was this season’s not-to-be-missed performance.
“Not-to-be-missed” was an understatement. Upton brings Billie to life, plumbing every aspect of the jazz and swing singer’s difficult life with humor, charm and prodigious vocal chops. She is front and center the entire show (90 minutes, no intermission), backed by Jimmy Powers (Jorden Amir), her pianist and guardian angel.
The play takes place in South Philadelphia in March 1959, where Billie Holiday is performing in a run-down bar during one of her last performances before her death in July 1959 from complications of alcoholism. Between songs, she tells stories about her life as she becomes increasingly intoxicated and incoherent. Far from a simple songbook, the sixteen songs and narration paint a portrait of a horrifically tragic life filled with racism, abuse, and toxic relationships. Yet, what reverberates more than Billie’s tragedies are her triumphs of both spirit and artistry. She confronts her history with steadfast eyes wide open, unapologetically and honestly. “What they don’t know is you can only get to where you’re at by the way of where you been. It don’t matter if it’s good or bad, you wouldn’t be what or who you are now if you hadn’t been whatever you was way back when. See, I KNOW who I am now is because of who I was THEN,” Billie explains.
That she is not bitter may be the eighth wonder of the world.
Under Candice Handy’s direction and with Tony Hardin’s set, the production creates an immersive atmosphere of the small, intimate jazz club. Lanie Robertson’s script breaks the fourth wall, with Billie addressing the audience directly. Although visibly distressed when making her entrance, she turns on the charm and assures the audience, “It’s just like I was home and all you was my friends.” She then opens up about her life: her mom’s nickname, her father’s death, her first love, her musical influences, being a Black woman in Jim Crow America, and being arrested for her struggles with drug addiction.
Even though Billie uses laughter to deflect the pain and inhumanity at the root of many of her stories (and songs, like “Strange Fruit”), that laughter, far from infectious, instead twists the blade of our discomfort and plunges it in deeper.
Upton is a consummate actress, effortlessly offering great depth and detail into Billie’s soul. She is absolutely captivating as she performs hit after hit from Billie, capturing the plaintive sound, the eccentric phrasing and all the little vocal catches that identify Billie Holiday’s unique style.
I am very glad I heeded the advice to catch a very talented actress in a tailor-made role. I’m only sad the run has ended, so others can’t benefit too.
