Show Finder

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

Opening Date: Mar 25, 2014
Closing Date: Oct 5, 2014
Running Time: 01:30
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

Share on Social Media

Playing @
Circle in the Square
235 West 50th Street , New York, NY 10019
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill recounts Billie Holiday's life story through the songs that made her famous. 

1959, in a small, intimate bar in Philadelphia, Holiday puts on a show that unbeknownst to the audience, will leave them witnesses to one of the last performances of her lifetime. Through her poignant voice and moving songs, one of the greatest jazz singers of all-time shares her loves and her losses.

Among the songs that will be performed: "God Bless the Child," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Strange Fruit" and "Taint Nobody's Biz-ness."


Frequent collaborators Lonny Price and Audra McDonald have been developing and working on Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill for more than two years
. The intimate setting of the Circle in the Square provides a unique theatrical experience, drawing audiences – especially those seated at the tables onstage – into the performance.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

TUES   8 PM
WED    2 PM
THURS 8 PM
FRI       8 PM 
SAT      2 & 8 PM
SUN      3 PM
BroadwayMusical
Show Notes: No Intermission. McDonald and the musical drama will take a brief hiatus from September 1-7 before beginning the final 16 performances on September 9.
Age Guidance: 16

Performance Schedule




TDF Tickets Offers:

TDF Member tickets:

Not currently available for this show

Listed at

Never

Full-price tickets:

$97.00 - $250.00

Video

Reviews

  • It’s Audra McDonald’s world—we’re all still just living in it… most of us would pay just to hear McDonald recite availability on the TKTS board, and her recreation of Holiday’s voice was just swell to my ear… the real pleasure in “Lady Day” is the patter…


    -----NBC New York
  • Let’s just say you could hear a pin drop in this rapt house. It’s a known fact that McDonald is a majestic singer... But it’s her extraordinary sensitivity as an actor that makes McDonald’s interpretation memorable

    -----Variety
  • If you close your eyes, you'll swear that the ghost of Billie Holiday is haunting the Circle in the Square Theatre… While both of this season's Billie Holiday-centered shows focus on the legendary singer near the end of her life, this one is a bit surer about its format and is consequently more focused… The thunderous applause McDonald (and, by extension, Holiday) receives at the end of this bravura performance is enough to exorcize any specter. When she's finally gone, however, we're left wanting much more


    ----TheaterMania
  • It’s Audra McDonald’s world—we’re all still just living in it… most of us would pay just to hear McDonald recite availability on the TKTS board, and her recreation of Holiday’s voice was just swell to my ear… the real pleasure in “Lady Day” is the patter…


    -----NBC New York

Accessibility

  • Box Office

    50th St. Ground floor. Counter 43".
  • Parking

    SVI Permit. Lot: 50th St. between Broadway & 8th Ave. Valet parking garage: Arcade next to theater.
  • Restroom

    Womens: 1st lower level (theater level). Through double doors (on level ground near elevators) into hallway through door (33") to restrooms. Door 28.5". Stall door 22".Mens: 1st lower level. Door 25.5". Stall door 22.5".
  • Telephone

    A telephone is located outside the washrooms.
  • Entrance

    Double doors (each 35") at street level to box office.Escalator or thirty steps down to lower levels. Alternate entrance: Doors (each 34") through 1633 Broadway office building to elevators. Theater staff must be alerted to allow person using elevator into lower levels of theater. Tickets must be purchased before entry to lower levels of theater.
  • Water Fountain

    Theater lobby (1st lower level), next to bar. Spout 42" No clear space
  • Wheelchair Info

    Four sections of wheelchair seats in the last row, no stairs required.
  • Elevator/Escalator

    There is an escalator down to the theatre level from the box office. An elevator is available that is accessible through the adjoining building, and an usher is available to escort patrons from the box office to the elevator.
  • Folding Armrests

    No seats with folding armrests are available. There are four sections of wheelchair seats instead.
  • Seating

    Theatre is 10 rows deep, with entrance at the level of the last row with no stairs. All rows in front of that require small stairs

TDF Social Feed

TDF
TDF4 days ago

Blending horror, humor, and a pulsing ‘80s rock score, The Lost Boys takes flight as a bold new stage adaptation of the cult classic film. With high-flying theatricality and a...

tdfnyc4 days ago
Blending horror, humor, and a pulsing ‘80s rock score, The Lost Boys (@lostboysmusical) takes flight as a bold new stage adaptation of the cult classic film. With high-flying...
tdfnyc5 days ago
“It has that same essence, only we’re doing it in front of 1,700 people a night instead of 50.” - Longtime @titaniquemusical cast member @thejohnriddle says of the #Broadway production. The...
TDF
TDF5 days ago
Titanique, The Musical director-cocreator Tye Blue and longtime cast member John Riddle talk to TDF Stages about their voyage on the shtick of dreams 🚢
TDF
TDF6 days ago

Gavin Creel wasn’t just a beloved Broadway performer, he was also an accomplished songwriter. Check out his humorous tribute to the art of appreciating art for free on The Metropolitan...

tdfnyc1 week ago
“I think one of the great things about TDF is it democratizes theatre.” For Francis Jue, seeing theatre didn’t just shape his career, it taught him how to be human....
tdfnyc1 week ago
TDF teamed up with the new Broadway musical Beaches for a special Best Friends Night, bringing real-life pals together to celebrate the power of friendship. From confidantes of just a...
TDF
TDF1 week ago
We had an amazing time at the TDF Autism Friendly Performance of Buena Vista Social Club! Thank you all for joining us.
tdfnyc2 weeks ago
From the TDF Costume Collection to Schmigadoon! McKenzie Kurtz shares her excitement about wearing a piece from the @tdfcostumecollection as Betsy in this new Broadway musical comedy. Happy opening night...
tdfnyc2 weeks ago
“Can I say that she is my muse? Because she is. Her voice started to get in my head, so much so that whenever I would hit a bump in...
TDF
TDF2 weeks ago

“To have that very specific unicorn of a voice is such a gift to a writer, and then such a gift to an audience when she delivers her brilliance.” –...

TDF
TDF
TDF2 weeks ago

TDF's FREE Young Playwrights Summer Program is currently seeking applicants! Rising high school juniors and seniors as well as spring 2026 graduates from NY, NJ and CT are eligible. Sessions...