LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL to be Presented at MusicalFare
Featuring music direction by Grammy Award winner George Caldwell, the production offers cabaret table seating in a reimagined Smith Theatre.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 05, 2026
Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Thembi Duncan, with music direction by George Caldwell, MusicalFare’s 2023 smash-hit returns—this time to the Shea’s Smith Theatre stage.
Witness one of Billie Holiday’s final performances in this tour-de-force evening starring JazzBuffalo’s Female Vocalist of the Year, Alex McArthur. Taking place in the late 1950s in Philadelphia, only four months before Holiday’s untimely death, LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL gives a poignant and visionary look at the woman behind the music.
Featuring music direction by Grammy Award winner George Caldwell, the production offers cabaret table seating in a reimagined Smith Theatre. Set, lighting, and sound design are by Chris Cavanagh; costume design is by Kari Drozd; and hair and make-up design is by Susan Drozd.
The performance schedule runs January 30 – February 15, with Friday performances at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
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