Billie Holiday News

Billie Holiday: Front and Center, the acclaimed show with songs is written and performed by Sybil D. Jatta, directed by B'ANCA, and presented by Champion Club Productions. Associate producer: Linda Bronson-Abbot. Musical director: Casey McCoy.

New Repertory Theatre is excited to announce that Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill will join their 2019-2020 MainStage season. The production runs March 28 ? April 19, 2020 in the MainStage Theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. Tickets to Lady Day may currently be purchased as part of a 2019-2020 subscription package by calling the New Rep Box Office at 617-923-8487 or visiting newrep.org. Single tickets will be available for sale on August 1. Lady Day will replace the previously announced Piaf.

America since the 2016 election has provoked no small amount of questioning. How could it ever have come to this? Beyond the immediacy of partisanship, the GOP has set about dismantling landmark legislation such as the Voting Rights Act. It has sent us reeling back in time to reexamine modern history for clues, and also to seek comfort in moments in which we felt secure in the march of progressiveness.

Jazzmobile Inc. and Harlem Jazz Enterprises have entered into a new partnership to present live music at the iconic Minton's Playhouse jazz club, 206 West 118th Street, in Harlem. This open-ended residency will begin on Independence Day with pianist Nat Adderley, Jr. and will continue every Thursday evening with a world-class jazz band. The Summer lineup will be announced at the opening celebration on July 4.

Alicia Foxworth's period drama Ghost Writer will bring the curtain down on the 2018 -19 season of the Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop monthly play reading series in partnership with The Billie Holiday Theatre.

Last evening, the Apollo Theater celebrated its 14th Annual Spring Gala, raising over $2 million for its year-round artistic and community programming initiatives.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, is pleased to announce that 2019 Tony Award-winner Andre De Shields (Hadestown) will host their inaugural Rachel Crothers Leadership Award Luncheon to honor Donna Walker-Kuhne, on Thursday, June 27 from 12-3pm at Sardi's Restaurant (234 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036). The event will also feature a special performance by LaChanze (2006 Tony Award winner for The Color Purple; Summer: The Donna Summer Musical). Tickets: Members $95; Non-Members $125.00; VIP tickets $175 (includes journal ad); VIP table $1,700 (with a journal ad). For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.theatrewomen.org.

Producer Mark Cortale has announced that historic six-time Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald will return to Cape Cod with Sirius XM Radio star Seth Rudetsky as music director and host

People's Light presents Mud Row, a world premiere play by recent Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau (Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations). Two generations of sisters navigate class, race, love, and family on "Mud Row," an area in the East End of West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will return to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts David H. Koch Theater for a seven-performance engagement from June 12-16. Highlights include the world premiere of Darrell Grand Moultrie's Ounce of Faith on Wednesday, June 12; The Ailey Spirit Gala benefit celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Ailey School on Thursday, June 13; performances celebrating and commemorating Pride Month; and a culminating program on Sunday, June 16 honoring dance legend Carmen de Lavallade.

Peninsula Players Theatre, America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre and Door County's theatrical icon, is thrilled to announce the artistic company for its 84th season, running June 18 through October 20, 2019.  Nestled along Door County, Wisconsin's scenic shore, the award-winning acting company of Peninsula Players has been enthralling generations of audiences in its 600-plus seat, all-weather pavilion, since 1935, presenting hundreds of pre-Broadway tryouts, world premieres, classic dramas, comedies and musicals.

Max Crumm (You're The One That I Want) and Natasha Yvette Williams (Waitress) will star in a private industry reading of Douglas Lyons's new family comedy Chicken & Biscuits. Directed by Zhailon Levingston (Neptune), the full cast includes Danny Johnson (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Gotham), Pat Bowie (The Trip to Bountiful), Gayle Turner (The Wiz), Akira Golz (Matilda), Alana Raquel Bowers (What to Send Up, When it Goes Down), and Justin Sams (When We Rise).

Full casting has been announced for the staged reading of David Stallings' new drama Leonora, which will be performed at The Williams CME Institutional Church in Harlem on Monday June 3 at 7pm.

Garry Marshall Theatre has added performances of Deidrie Henry starring in the Tony Award winning Broadway play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson, which now must close Sunday, June 9, 2019. 

Radian percussionist and composer Martin Brandlmayr has announced the release of his new album Vive Les Fantômes, out on June 14th. The radio play was created for German station SWR and awarded The Karl Sczuka Prize for Works of Radio Art, an honor previously given to the likes of John Cage, Luc Ferriari, Hanna Hartman, and Pierre Henry.

Just a warning to those who think that Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is a musical revue of Billie Holiday's greatest hits. Lanie Robertson's work is a very heavy play with music featuring brilliant Deidrie Henry front and center baring her soul in one of Holiday's last performances in 1959 before her death. Incredible musicians Abdul Hamid Royal as musical director and as Jimmy Powers at the ivories and James Leary on bass add immense flavor to the evening, currently onstage under the outstanding direction of Gregg T. Daniel, at the Garry Marshall Theatre through June 2 only.

It's that time of the week, theater lovers! With the weekend set to kick off at any moment - personally, we like to consider Thursday morning at 12:01 a.m. the official start of the weekend (that's directed primarily to the Dowager Countess of Grantham who quite clearly didn't understand what actually constitutes a 'weekend') - so we are back with a few suggestions of our own to help make your job easier. There are some new shows opening, others which are continuing their runs and still more which will be winding up their slate of performances this weekend!

Garry Marshall Theatre presents Deidrie Henry in the Broadway play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson for 15 performances May 15 to June 2, 2019 (press opening is Friday, May 17). The director is Gregg T. Daniel and playing Jimmy Powers is musical director Abdul Hamid Royal.  Daniel most recently directed The Mountaintop for Garry Marshall Theatre.

Artistic Director Robert Battle has announced exciting highlights to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Lincoln Center season at the David H. Koch Theater June 12 – 16. In addition to a world premiere by Darrell Grand Moultrie and recent premieres by some of today's most revered choreographers across three distinct programs – Bold Visions, Trailblazers, and Timeless Ailey – the engagement includes The Ailey Spirit Gala benefit celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Ailey School; An Evening Honoring Carmen de Lavallade; and a series of special activities for people of all ages and backgrounds. The engagement also marks the debut of five new Company dancers.