Contact:
JoYi Rhyss, Thomasina Productions
(612) 201-5018 or joyir@thomasinaproductions.com
 Thomasina Petrus, jazz vocalist and actress, brings Lanie Robertson's "Lady
Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" to Darcy Knight's lovingly renovated Old
Arizona Theatre building, a restored Vaudeville scene shop. Produced by
Thomasina Petrus, Darcy Knight and JoYi Rhyss, sponsored by City Pages, and
directed by Penumbra Theatre's Lou Bellamy, Lady Day promises to be the
"must see" production.
Fifteen songs evoke Billie's brave spirit, still haunting us beyond her 44
years, long after her last months in 1959. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
set in a South Philadelphia nightclub in 1959, where legendary jazz singer
Billie Holiday is giving one of her final performances...and you are there.
Lady Day is a skillful blend of biography and cabaret, this extraordinary
play draws you into Holiday's triumphs and setbacks -- from scrubbing steps
in Baltimore through her rise to fame. The production features more than a
dozen of the songs that made Lady Day an American icon, including "God Bless
the Child," "Strange Fruit," "Where Our Love Has Gone" and "Ain't Nobody's
Business if I Do."
Billie reveals herself to the audience in a kind of stream-of-consciousness,
in which songs remind her of stories and stories remind her of songs. A
monologue about her mother, whom she fondly calls "Duchess," introduces "God
Bless the Child." A recollection of the racism she encountered touring the
South with Artie Shaw's all-white band is reflected in "Strange Fruit," a
searing metaphor for lynching and an important protest song."
I have loved Billie Holiday's music ever since Cornbread Harris Sr. taught
me OGod Bless the Child' when I was 15 years old. Sharing this production of
one of Billie's last performances with Billie devotees and introducing her
to new jazz lovers, I am fulfilling one of my dearest dreams as an artist."
When: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Oct.28th - Nov.21st @ 8:00 pm
Where: Old Arizona Theatre. 2821 Nicollet Avenue South, 612-871-0050.
Tickets: $25. Please call the Penumbra Theatre box office to reserve
tickets, 651-224-3180. |
