LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL at the Mosaic Theater Company

The celebrated and now iconic jazz singer and legend Billie Holiday is portrayed in the playwright’s play as a tortured survivor who “just hangs on” Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. The audience is transported back to the atmosphere of this classic bar and grill, to 1959, as an exhausted “Lady Day” (Billie Holiday) looks back on her life and sings fifteen of her classic songs, accompanied by three superb jazz accompanists. The nightclub atmosphere of Emerson's Bar and Grill envelops theatergoers as soon as they enter the Mosaic Theater Company's first-class cabaret setting (the atmospheric work of set designer Nadir Bey includes a neon-lit sign and a stage full of warmth).

Billie Holiday is portrayed with nuance and depth by Roz White – we see her looking back on the painful and turbulent moments of her life, with a mischievous defensive wall, underlying anger, and a bruised and battered ego. Ms. White embodies Billie Holiday in all her personality. In an elegant white dress with green floral accents and white gloves, Ms. White beautifully depicts the painful course of Holiday's life (with some down-to-earth banter) through fifteen classic songs and lively chitchat.

Ms. White's singing style emphasizes the emotional, expressive and “down to earth” quality that perfectly embodies Ms. Holiday's vocal qualities. Ms. White also has acting talent to challenge the gods – Ms. White was adept at portraying the changes in her psychological state one after another as she successively took another sip of a drink to release her inhibitions and took a longer pause (as her character would), only to then perform in a narcotic haze that actually gave her renditions of “Strange Fruit” and “Don't Explain” an air of masochism and utter anguish. (My only reservation is that I did not detect a hint of vulnerability in Ms. White's portrayal of Ms. Holiday – to the extent that I saw wounded pride and resentment). However, the unique phrasing, emphasis and jazz style of singing are all there and this is a performance of utmost professionalism that must be seen to be believed.

Music Director William Knowles handles his musical duties with aplomb. The arrangements for Ms. White are enticing and full of verve, and his piano skills are remarkable – there is clarity of tone and lightness of voice. Mr. Knowles's portrayal of Jimmy Powers is outstanding.

Greg Holloway on drums/percussion adds momentum to the musical accompaniment and Mark Saltman on bass is simply superb, particularly in his accompaniment on “God Bless the Child.” The crowd was treated to an opening jam session that drew sustained applause, as well as a few other purely instrumental interludes that were equally compelling.

Director Reginald L. Douglas brings psychological nuance, expert logistical pacing, and obvious foresight to every level of this production. Mr. Douglas succeeds in breaking the fourth wall so subtly that I was caught in the moment, as if I had been transported back to 1959 in a time capsule.

The ninety minutes of this play flew by because the many songs were so well integrated into the spoken passages of the book. Holiday's musical influences – Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, racism, family/parenting, lovers and clashes with authority figures – were all in play. The playwright's book certainly alludes to the many events in Billie Holiday's life, but this show will most likely draw Holiday devotees rather than a general audience, since the show's appeal is quite specific and the spoken passages seem to assume that the audience has educated themselves on Ms. Holiday's background. (The distributed program contains no dramaturgy nor a brief summary of elements of Holiday's background or her influence on the many singers and musicians active in decades past and in the present.) At least those who attend without immediate knowledge of Ms. Holiday can enjoy the musical immediacy of each song and the superb trio of musicians.

“What a Little Moonlight Can Do” was performed in an optimistic, cheeky and lively style.

“Crazy He Calls Me” was a stunning song full of irony and romance.

“Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)” was very down to earth and was performed by Ms. White with a pleasantly broad sense of humor. This was followed by a very exciting interactive approach as Ms. White stepped off the nightclub stage and sang to the people at the cabaret tables (the audience). A very engaging number!

The classic “God Bless the Child” (with music by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. and lyrics by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr.) was incredibly well sung and arranged. Mark Saltman's bass subtly accompanied Ms. White's stirring vocals for about two-thirds of the song, and then William Knowles' piano and Greg Holloway's percussion/drums came in to give this classic song a unified texture and timbre.

The harrowing poetic and tragic truth of “Strange Fruit” brings lynching in the South to a harrowing light. Ms. White's expressive vocals capture the terrible sadness of this song.

“T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do” was performed by Ms. White with alternating iconoclastic defiance and subtle humor.

“Don't Explain” (with music by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. and lyrics by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr.) cleverly underscores the fact that harsh reality will always be there, but true love is grateful for the happy moments it can find.

Jesse Belsky's lighting design was immersive and immersive when needed for dramatic enhancement – ​​and used more extensively to create a more interactive impact on the audience.

In closing, my conclusion from this unique piece is this: Did Billie Holiday pay too high a price for the legacy of her unique singing talent? Certainly she did – but the legacy the music world inherited from her tragic personal life was a new, raw honesty and an emotional, expressive leap into a vibrant new vocal paradigm that influenced artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Etta James and Janis Joplin, and many others.

Don’t miss the Mosaic Theater Company’s production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. This highly original and specialized piece will appeal to those who appreciate the genius of Billie Holiday.

Running time: 90 minutes without intermission.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill runs through October 6, 2024 at the Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002.

Photo credit: LR William Knowles (pianist), Roz White as Billie Holiday, Mark Saltman (bassist) and Greg Holloway (drummer/percussionist) in the Mosaic Theater Company production Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. Photo by Chris Banks.

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