Kansas City Repertory Theatre Announces Cast For LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL

Kansas City Repertory Theatre will continues the vibrant 2024 -25 season with the deeply evocative exploration of the life and art of Billie Holiday, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. With every note resonating with the magic, creativity, and song stylings of Billie Holiday, Lady Day amplifies the artist's extraordinary journey. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Nedra Dixon, and starring Angela Wildflower as the legendary jazz stylist, the Copaken Stage will be transformed into a jazz club of old with live performances of Holiday's most evocative and haunting classics. Performances run October 8 through 27, 2024, at the Copaken Stage in downtown Kansas City.

Featuring Holliday's timeless interpretations of “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit,” and “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” among many others, Lady Day recreates one of the iconic singer's final concerts. Critics have lauded the “virtuosic performances” and “moments of transcendent beauty and levity” that capture a critical era in American music history not to be missed.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Stuart Carden stated, “Illuminating the raw essence of Billie Holiday's music and the poignant story of her life in a single, unforgettable performance, Lady Day stars the extraordinary Angela Wildflower, originally from Kansas City, backed by a live jazz trio, and led by Kansas City theatre legends Nikki Dixon and Pam Watson. This production is stacked with incredible talent, and we can't wait to share Billie Holiday's thrilling music and story with our Kansas City community.”

CAST

Angela Wildflower (Billie Holiday) (She/Her) KCRep: Venice Broadway: Motown The Musical (Mary Wells) Off-Broadway: Venice (Hailey Daisy/Public Theatre) Regional: The Color Purple (Celie/Broadway Sacramento), The Color Purple (Shug Avery/The Denver Center, Latte Da/Geva Theatre), Ain't Misbehavin (Charmaine, Rubicon Theatre), My Lord What A Night (CATF), Emojiland (NYTF), October Sky (The Old Globe), Avenue Q (3-D Theatrical), Crowns (Pasadena Playhouse/Ebony Rep/ Unicorn Theatre), All Shook Up (3-D Theatrical), Dangerous Beauty (Pasadena Playhouse), Local: The Unicorn Theatre, Theatre For Young America, The Coterie TV/Film: Blue Bloods (CBS); The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime), FBI (CBS), Power: Raising Kanan (Starz), Atlanta (FX), Russian Doll (Netflix), Roxanne Roxanne Roxanne (Netflix), Education: Spelman College; BA, www.AngelaWildflower.com, Instagram: @iWildflower.

Brian Ward (Jimmy Powers) (He/Him) KCRep: Debut. Awards: Anthony B. Cius Jr. Award, KU School of Music. Education: DMA, University of Kansas; MST, Portland State University; BM, Portland State. brianwardmusic.net Facebook: BrianWardOrganTrio, Instagram: BrianWardMusic.

MUSICAL TEAM

The musical, creative and Production Team for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill includes PAMELA BASKIN-WATSON (Music Director), RANA ESFANDIARY (Scenic Design), Samantha Jones (Costume Design), Jason Lynch (Lighting Design), ALEX MURPHY (Stage Manager), JON ROBERTSON (Sound Design), and Katja Zarolinski, CSA (Casting). Understudy is AMBER MCKINNON (U/S Billie Holiday).

TICKET INFORMATION

For more information about the 2024-2025 season, call Ticketing Services, 816-235-2700, or visit https://kcrep.org/. Single tickets begin at $39.00. For group ticket sales, call 816-235-6122.

ABOUT KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE

Celebrating 60 years of transformative theater, Kansas City Repertory Theatre is a cultural catalyst at the center of our nation's creative crossroads. Upholding their mission to inspire, entertain, and open minds by creating transformative theatre experiences for all, KCRep produces world-renowned classic works and world premieres on their two mainstages, in unique spaces, and throughout the community. Lauded by The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Variety and The Toronto Sun, KCRep regularly produces at Spencer Theatre, where it serves as the professional theatre in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Copaken Stage located in downtown Kansas City. Under Artistic Director Stuart Carden and Executive Director Angela Lee Gieras, KCRep employs more than 150 professional artists, technicians, and administrators and historically serves more than 60,000 patrons and 10,000 school children annually. 

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