LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL directed by Lanie Robertson will premiere at Playhouse on Park September 28 – October 16, 2022. This will be the first Playhouse production in the 14th main season of Park. Lady Day directed by Stephanie Bob Lofgren. Music Direction by Nigel D. Robinson.
The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is about to watch one of Billie Holiday’s last shows, four months before her death. In Robertson’s award-winning play, Holiday enthralls audiences with salty and often humorous memories of her turbulent life as a traveling actor in an isolated south. With the help of her piano man, Jimmy Powers, she let the music tell her story, and shared heart-wrenching, heart-wrenching songs from her unforgettable canon, including: “Exotic Fruit,” “God Bless a Child,” “When a Woman Loves a Man,” and “No one will work if you do that. “
Stephanie Bob Lovegren (Director) is an actress, singer, dancer, writer, director, choreographer, producer, voice actress, performance coach, and music theater expert with a career spanning over 35 years. She has appeared in more than 10 Broadway shows and recently earned Connecticut Critics Circle Award and Regional Theater Award nominations for her portrayal of Camila Rosario in Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights at Playhouse On Park and Tanya in North Carolina Theater produced by Mama Mia!. Broadway and touring credits include Pippin’s revival, for which she received an Astaire Award, ACCA Award and Beloved Legacy Robe nomination, Chicago (Velma Kelly), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Muzzy Van Hossmere), Fosse (lead player), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Brenda) , A Funny Thing… Forum (Gymnasia), Kiss of The Spider Woman (Getting Ready for Mrs. Chita Rivera), Jelly’s Last Jam (The Hunnies) and The Will Rogers Follies… just to name a few. Stephanie was honored to have been chosen to work with legendary director/choreographer, Bob Fosse, along with his wife and muse, Gwen Verdon on her first two Broadway shows, the Sweet Charity revival starring Debbie Allen and Baby Neuwirth and The Big Deal for Bob Fosse. She holds the distinguished “Fosse Dancer” title and is one of a handful of Fosse rebuilders who teach Fosse repertoire and master classes on behalf of The Verdon Fosse Legacy LLC. In addition to her work on stage, screen, and television, Ms. Pope is a producer with several projects in development including the musical she is creating with Drama Desk Award winner Chesney Snow, titled Grin and Bare It and adaptation of Eugene O. Get the poet’s touch. She recently produced a new play written by Lloyd Khanner, directed by Tonya Pinkins and starring Chuck Cooper and Robert Cucioli for the 2021 TRU virtual play reading series.
Danielle Herbert (Billy Holiday) is a New York-based actress/singer best known for her role as crazy prisoner Babs Babson’ on seasons 3 and 5 of the Netflix TV series “Orange is the New Black”. She made her Broadway debut in the Duke Ellington musical After Midnight Danielle was recently on Broadway national tour company BEAUTIFUL: THE Carole King MUSICAL.She is scheduled to perform in the new off-Broadway musical STARDUST ROAD, which will revive the popular music of Hoagy Carmichael, later this year.Danielle sang backup and toured Nationally with Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Jill Scott, along with Queen Latifah and Erykah Badu; and she has performed at some of the most popular regional theaters in her hometown of Philly, including The Walnut, The Arden and The Wilma and Freedom; as well as others in New York, Chicago, and California.
Selected musical theater credits to Nigel D. Robinson (Jimmy Powers) include Bro. Davis/Music Director at THE AMEN CORNER (Shakespeare’s Theater Company), Jimmy Powers at LADY DAY (North Carolina Theatre), and Actor/Musician at THE ALL NIGHT STRUT (Milwaukee Rep). Nygel is the co-author of MEXODUS, a new live stage musical, along with Brian Quijada who is a recording artist/music producer.
About Playhouse on Park: Playhouse on Park is operated under the supervision of Playhouse Theater Group, Inc. It is the award-winning destination in Greater Hartford for the Performing Arts. Playhouse on Park offers a wide range of thought-provoking, inspiring and thoroughly entertaining professional theatrical productions that often leave the audience smiling, sometimes crying, and always talking about what they just experienced.
Tickets for LADY DAY are on sale now at EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, and prices range from $45 to $55. Group rates are available! Student and seniors discounts are also available. Previews are on September 28 and 29, with all tickets priced at $25. Student Rush is $15 in cash ($17.50 with credit card), available 15 minutes before curtain. Special lunchtime tickets are available between 12pm and 1pm for a performance that takes place on the same day/evening. It’s $15 in cash ($17.50 with credit card). Student Rush and Lunch Time Special tickets must be purchased in person at the Playhouse on Park box office. 2 pm on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Evening shows are at 7:30 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, and at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday. There will be a conversation with the representatives after every Sunday.
Additionally, subscriptions are currently on sale at the Playhouse for Park’s 14th Main Stage. LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL is the premiere in the subscription series. Subscribers save 20% off single ticket prices. Purchase your subscription now to secure pre-paid tickets for all Main Stage productions in the upcoming season! Recipients choose to sign up because they are guaranteed the same performance day and seats for each production. Additionally, tickets can be exchanged for a new date if necessary, as long as an exchange is required prior to the original date. SUBSCRIBE NOW to see LADY DAY alongside August Wilson’s FENCES and Paula Vogel’s INDECENT and the world premiere of WEBSTER’S BITCH by Jaqueline Bircher and BANDSTAND with music by Richard Oberker, book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberker. Subscribers can also add a dance theater stop/time (Playhouse on Park resident dance company) at 20% off!
COVID-19 Policy: Vaccination card checks and masks are not required. However, masks are highly recommended.