Billie Holiday News

On this day, we're wishing a very Happy Birthday to Tony winner Dee Dee Bridgewater!

In April, Kandle released “Misty Morning,” a sonic journey that echoes soulful vulnerability and an honest reflection of realizing true love - watch the FLOOD Magazine 'Neighborhoods' session here and see SPIN's 'A Day in the Life' feature here.

Northlight Theatre has announced its 2021-2022 season, opening with the tour-de-force musical Songs for Nobodies, by Joanna Murray-Smith, directed by Rob Lindley, featuring Bethany Thomas; the world premiere of Mr. Dickens’ Hat by Michael Hollinger, directed by David Catlin and more.

La soprano y César Belda serán los encargados de dar voz a estas dos grandes voces del jazz estadounidense.

The Melbourne Cabaret Festival will return to Chapel Off Chapel from 16 to 27 June 2021. The festival features two weeks of atmospheric, seductive and soul-stirring entertainment. You can experience an entertaining night out and be enticed by the launch of brand new and exciting cabaret shows.

The San Diego Symphony announced its inaugural season of concerts at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the new year-round outdoor venue with 360-degree views of downtown, the marina & the bay. Opening August 6-8, the season will offer more than 40 concerts between August and November 2021, including eight concerts led by Music Director Rafael Payare.

The series hinges on an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of fictional metropolis Ultra City’s most famous magnate (Smith).

Tina - The Tina Turner Musical will re-open at the Aldwych Theatre on 28 July 2021 following over a year of shutdown - get the new show schedule here including new Sunday performances!

In celebration of the contribution of Black artists, Skylight Music Theatre presents Forgotten Voices — Unearthing the Roots of American Music, June 19 – July 18, 2021. The show honors the often-unknown artists whose work deeply influenced others who gained far more notoriety.

Bryant Park Corporation has announced the current programming schedule for its summer performing arts series, Picnic Performances, featuring artists including Adrienne Warren, the New York Philharmonic, Mykal Kilgore, New York City Opera and many more! 

 Doris Bumpus is now starring as the legendary Billie Holiday in 42nd Street Mood's virtual production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, written by Lanie Robertson.

In addition to the widely available standard 3-LP edition, a limited pressing on translucent vinyl with black and gold marble will be available exclusively via the official Madeleine Peyroux or Craft Recordings webstores (1,000 available worldwide).

As FOX goes broad, its free, AVOD streaming service, Tubi, is going deep with 140+ hours of original programming next season that speaks to viewers’ passions.

After more than a year away from live theatre, Theatrical Outfit has announced a return to the stage. For the 2021-2022 Season, audiences will once again be welcomed back into the Balzer Theater in the heart of Downtown Atlanta to experience smart, authentic, vital in-person theatre.

Tasha's work as an acting coach, through her TSAW Actor's Workshop, has been utilized by numerous luminaries including Mary J. Blige (for her Oscar nominated performance in Mudbound) and most recently with Andra Day.

The track was recorded in the height of quarantine (Spring 2020), when the world was slipping into a deep kind of chaos, Xenia’s mom had an experience with covid, and it was generally hard to tell which way was up, the process of making the track provided a cloak of resilience. 

As trending in the greater jazz community, creative women earned significant recognition: Composer-orchestra leader Maria Schneider, whose album Data Lords (ArtistShare) is Record of the Year, and drummer-producer educator Terri Lyne Carrington, Jazz Musician of the Year, won multiple awards. Women prevailed in several other instrumentalists' categories, too.

Trustus Theatre is re-opening “Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill” for a three-week run in June.

The West Harlem Art Fund will present their new exhibition WE ARE IN REACH on Governors Island in the historic district of Nolan Park. The show is open now through June 25, 2021 for the public. '...as we look at human existence, it all began in Africa. WE ARE IN REACH looks at how those of African descent honor memory, philosophy and tradition.'

The latest offering in 42nd Street Moon’s 2021 Moonbeams series is a new virtual production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill starring Doris Bumpus as the legendary Billie Holiday. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Brandon Jackson with musical direction by Marcus McCauley, the play is both a celebration of Holiday as a musical icon and an exploration of her experience as a Black woman in America. Ultimately, it is a testament to the power of the human spirit to persevere in spite of incredible adversity. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is available to stream through May 30, 2021. For further information and to purchase tickets, visit 42ndstmoon.org/moonbeams. BroadwayWorld caught up with Ms. Bumpus earlier this week in Miami, where she was celebrating her 28th wedding anniversary. The Michigan native grew up singing in church, taking on her first solo at the tender age of five. The actor/singer/producer has her own production company, D’Sunflower Productions, and also has a pair of EP’s on iTunes, including her most recent release, “God Bless the Child,” which pays tribute to Billie Holiday. Her wide-ranging Bay Area theater credits include playing Dorothy Gale in 'The Wiz' and Effie White in 'Dreamgirls,' receiving a Pan Arts Award for Best Lead Actress for both. 42nd Street Moon audiences will remember her as Jewel in 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.' In conversation, Bumpus is easily chatty and ebullient, and her joy in being a working actor is palpable.