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

tdfnyc1 day ago
From Tuesday, May 26 to Sunday, June 7 (aka Tony Awards Sunday), TDF Members are fast-tracked at TKTS Times Square. See Tony-nominated shows up to 50% off before Broadway’s biggest night. Just present your...
TDF
TDF4 days ago

If you can't make it to the theatre this weekend, here's what you can stream. Nicole Scherzinger at Royal Albert Hall is available for FREE on Great Performances l PBS...

tdfnyc5 days ago
New York’s outdoor theatre season is officially here —and Shakespeare in the Park is just one of many incredible options. From The Classical Theatre of Harlem and the Battery Dance...
tdfnyc1 week ago
In summer 2025, The Public Theater unveiled its gorgeous renovation of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. In addition to making the venue more accessible to folks with mobility challenges,...
TDF
TDF1 week ago

We’ve rounded up 10 great shows to see for $40 or less this May. Catch a new play from the acclaimed Clubbed Thumb, an immersive musical in a Brooklyn home,...

tdfnyc1 week ago
We’ve rounded up 10 great shows to see for $40 or less this May. Catch a new play from the acclaimed Clubbed Thumb, an immersive musical in a Brooklyn home,...
tdfnyc1 week ago
Yesterday, TDF hit the Drama Desk Awards red carpet and asked: “If you could travel back in time to see any Broadway production, what would it be?” Tell us your...
TDF
TDF2 weeks ago

Irving Berlin's Top Hat directed and choreographed by three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall is available to stream on Great Performances l PBS. Check that out plus MCC Theater's Miscast26, The...

tdfnyc2 weeks ago
We didn’t pay Betsy Aidem to say this… we swear! 👀 But we are considering making her our unofficial spokesperson. Betsy Aidem on why TDF means so much to her...
TDF
TDF2 weeks ago

There are many NYC opera companies hitting high notes all year-round! In fact, this month four of the five troupes we’re highlighting have performances, including two New York premieres. Discover...

TDF
TDF2 weeks ago

Congratulations, class of 2026! Last Tuesday, NYC’s high school seniors took over the red steps at TKTS for a graduation celebration. Afterward, everyone went to see CATS: The Jellicle Ball...

TDF
TDF3 weeks ago
Suffs Musical is available to stream for FREE through Great Performances l PBS until July 31. It's one of five performances in our streaming roundup this weekend.