Actress and singer Tracey Conyer Lee has wowed audiences at Vanguard Theater in Montclair in her role as legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in the new immersive production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.
Tracey Conyer Lee and Janeece Freeman Clark, the director this production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and founder of the Vanguard Theater Company, joined WBGO News Director Doug Doyle to talk about the 2014 Tony Award-winning show and its impact.
In the 90-minute show, running through December 17, Conyer Lee channels Holiday, also known as Lady Day, performing classics such as “When a Woman Loves a Man,” “Baby Doll” and “Strange Fruit,” and telling stories about her life. Holiday’s pianist and love interest, Jimmy Powers, was portrayed by Darnell White. The shows also features the musical talents of a live band with White on piano, Gregory Bufford on drums and Belden Bullock on bass.
The Vanguard Theater gave audience members a chance to have a soul food dinner (catered by Vauxhall's Mama's Southern Style BBQ II) prior to the show and have a drink from the same bar used by "Billie Holiday" in the show.
