Interview: Director Roshunda Jones Talks the Joys and Pains of Bringing 'LADY DAY' to Life

Billie Holiday knew what a little moonlight can do. Do you? Allow her to enlighten you in The Bayou Theatre Company production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL. The one-woman play, written by Lanie Robertson, takes you to 1959, midnight in March. It is one of Lady Day's final performances, a mere four months before her untimely death, and the lady with the gardenia in her hair is singing in a rinky dink bar. But she's still in good form. Accompanied only by a pianist (Mark Williams), the jazz virtuoso (LaKeisha Randle) delivers her standards, several of which she made American standards. And between songs like "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child," and "When a Woman Loves a Man," she addresses her adoring audience and admits that her living ain't always been easy. Below Director Roshunda Jones talks staging LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL, which also wasn't easy. But Jones says she, her cast and her crew, embrace the joys and pains of the production just as Billie embraced the joys and pains of life -- with open arms.

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What was your first impression of the script?

Roshunda Jones: My introduction to the script was two years ago when I saw Audra McDonald in her Tony Award winning performance of [LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL] in NYC. I have always loved Billie Holiday's music and was aware she had an extremely difficult life with drug addiction, rape, alcoholism, racism, abuse, etc. What I connected with the most is that the script focused on one of her final performances if not the final. The play takes place in March 1959 and four months later she dies of cirrhosis and heart failure. So, this show is really her swan song.

What has been your process for 'LADY DAY'?

Roshunda Jones: In the rehearsal process, we first worked on the music because her music was who she was. The music got her through the tough times as well as joyous ones. Most of her music can be connected to major events in her life. After we understood and learned the music, the rest came together.

What challenges did you face in the undertaking of the project?

Roshunda Jones: This piece is a massive undertaking for the actress playing Lady Day [LaKeisha Randle]. She has a series of songs followed by extremely long monologues. (Billie Holiday was the ultimate storyteller and, even through the heartache, she found a way to smile.) We studied her vocal patterns, the way she moved, her life and substance abuse. (Billie was also a "functional" alcoholic and drug addict). We wanted to make sure that our interpretation wasn't stereotypical and [that it shows] the real side of addiction.

And Billie states repeatedly that she sings how she feels, so we had to make sure that the audience truly didn't know what was coming next.

Another challenge was to make sure that we captured Billie's style of jazz because she was one of the trailblazers of jazz music. She said that she wasn't a blues singer like Bessie Smith but she gave people the blues feeling with a jazz beat.

To switch to the positive, what are some of the joys and pleasures of working on the production?

Roshunda Jones: A joy of this production was working with Lakeisha Randle (Lady Day) and Mark Williams (Jimmy [Powers] and Musical Director) who poured their heart and soul in bringing this story to life.

What I have really enjoyed about the production is giving back to the students who have given so much to me. This company was founded by three of my former students from G.W. Carver Magnet [High School]-Alric Davis, Trey Lewis and Yesha Benjamin. I'm elated to be working for them. I'm so proud of their drive and tenacity to make a change in this world especially at a young age. [Excitedly] They are still in college!

What do you think this production brings to the Houston Theatre scene?

Roshunda Jones: Houston, Texas is overflowing with talented artists and this show is an outlet to share those talents. The show also deals with many issues that are relevant today. We have lost some of the greatest artists of our time due to a complicated life plagued with addiction and unresolved personal struggles. It shows the impact [drug addiction] can have on you when left untreated. The show also touches on some of the injustice and inequality she endured as a woman and African American. Some issues that America is still battling with today. [Pauses] Billie believed in celebrating life even in the tough times and that is what you will see with the Bayou Theatre Company's production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL. The show will make you laugh, cry, sing and fall in love with Billie Holiday all over again.

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The Bayou Theatre Company production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL opens on Friday, July 29 and continues through Saturday, August 6. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; Thursday, August 4; Friday, August 5; and Saturday, August 6 at Ovations Night Club, 2536 Times Blvd. For more information, please call 832-513-3626 or 713-560-9790 or visit bayoutheatrecompany.org. $25

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