Porchlight Opens LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL, 2/2

Porchlight Music Theatre will celebrate Black History Month, with the third production in their 2012 – 2013 season, Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, February 2 – March 10, 2013, starring Alexis Rogers as Billie Holiday and directed by Porchlight Artistic Associate Rob Lindley with music direction by Jaret Landon, at Stage 773, 1225 West Belmont Ave. Previews are Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013 at 2 and 6 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Opening/Press Night is Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run schedule is Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 for previews and $39 for all other performances. Groups of ten or more may receive discounts on tickets purchased via the Groups Sales office at 773.777.9884. Single tickets for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill are on sale now and may be purchased at stage773.com or by phone at 773.327.5252.

It's 1959 and legendary musical performer Billie Holiday (Alexis Rogers) is just four months away from death as she steps to the microphone in a seedy bar in Philadelphia for one of her final performances. Though she is there to sing, the audience will find she has more on her mind than music. In addition to featuring a dozen of her hits, Holiday tells the tale of who she is, as a woman, as a black performer, as a civil rights leader and so much more, in her own original style. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill showcases the talents of the strong, yet, fragile woman who pioneered a new way of looking and listening to music while presenting a story fused with drama as much as humor that plays like one of Lady Day's legendary songs.

The production team for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill includes Alexia Rutherford, costume design; Nick Belley, lighting design; Jeffrey D. Kmiec, set design; Victoria "Toy" DeIorio, sound design; Adrian Juarez, properties design; Jenn Kincaid, stage manager; Deborah Blumenthal, dramaturgy intern and Patrick Fries, production manager.