Photo Flash: TheatreLAB's LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL Begins Tonight

TheatreLAB, Richmond's home for unexpected and evocative performance, is proud to present Lanie Robertson's LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL, starring local theatre favorite Katrinah Carol Lewis as Billie Holiday. The production is the first show of TheatreLAB's 2015-16 season, "A Vivid Impression of Reality," and will run tonight, November 12th to December 12th at TheatreLAB's venue, The Basement (300 East Broad Street). Scroll down for a sneak peek!

"See, the disc jockeys say I'm not the same Lady Day, but what they don't know is you can only get to where you're at by the way of where you been." The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is about to witness one of Billie Holiday's last performances, given four months before her death. More than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous, reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the ladyand her music.

The production is directed by TheatreLAB Artistic Director, Deejay Gray, with musical direction by Anthony Smith, and features a design team of Michael Jarett (Lights), Matthew Bauserman (Set), Kelsey Cordrey (Sound and Props), and McLean Jesse (Costumes). The production is Stage Managed by Justin Janke with assistance from Morgan Howard.

From Deejay Gray: "When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time listening to old records that I had found in my family's attic. There was a 'Best Of Jazz Hits' that I remember being drawn to because of the storytelling and inherent drama that exists in jazz music. The first time I heard 'Strange Fruit,' I couldn't grasp the history or meaning of the song, but I knew that Billie Holiday was a woman with a story to share. I'm so thrilled that after all these years of admiring and respecting this music, I'm given the opportunity to work on a piece of theatre that honors one of the greatest jazz vocalists in American History while collaborating with one of the greatest actresses I've had the pleasure of knowing: Katrinah Carol Lewis."

Seating for each performance will be limited and tickets range from $10-30. There will be a special low-priced preview performance on November 12th. Tickets are now on sale and available at TheatreLABrva.org.