Ebony Repertory Theatre Presents LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL

Ebony Repertory Theatre (ERT) announced today that they will present the critically-acclaimed play LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL by Lanie Robertson.

Director and actor Wren T. Brown, who serves as ERT's Producing Artistic Director, will direct his first ERT production for the Los Angeles award-winning theatre company. This drama with music examines and explores the life of the legendary Billie Holiday during one of her final performances in Philadelphia, in March 1959, four months shy of her death, at the age of 44. Karole Foreman (Fences at International City Theatre) will star in the title role along with music director Stephan Terry (NAACP Award-winner for Recorded in Hollywood at the Kirk Douglas Theatre).

The limited engagement begins performances on February 6, 2020 and plays through March 1, with the official press opening on Saturday, February 8 at 8:00 pm, at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center (4718 West Washington Boulevard) in Los Angeles. Tickets are now on sale at EbonyRep.org.

"What immediately drew me to Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill was the opportunity to explore and examine the life of one of the most transcendent artists of the 20th century. Through her music, Billie Holiday used everything that happened in her life to inform her art. Sixty years after her death, at a time in America when race, gender, and the opioid crisis are being discussed loudly on a daily basis, Billie Holiday's life and career are a great example of what it means to not just survive but triumph in the face of lifelong abuse and struggle," said director Wren T. Brown.

LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL will feature 14 of Billie Holiday's hits including "When A Woman Loves A Man," "God Bless the Child," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Easy Livin'," "Strange Fruit," among others. The creative team for LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL includes set designer Edward E. Haynes, costume designer Kim DeShazo, lighting designer Donna Ruzika, sound designer Corwin Evans, prop designers Patty and Gordon Briles, and hair and wig designer Anthony Gagliardi. Casting is by Michael Donovan.

Ebony Repertory Theatre's presentation of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL was previously produced by International City Theatre in Long Beach, October 16 through November 3, 2019. The production starred Karole Foreman with music direction by Stephan Terry and was directed by Wren T. Brown.

LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL had its world premiere in 1986 at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. It has been produced Off-Broadway, on Broadway, in London's West End, and in other notable theatres around the world.

Regular tickets range from $30 - $50 and are available online at ebonyrep.org or by phone at 323-964-9766. Groups of 10 or more are available via email at groups@ebonyrep.org or 323-964-9766.

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