The Play: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
The Company: Melbourne Theatre Company
The Theatre: The Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio
Stars: 5
Until December 9
I love it when an actor embodies a character. In living memory I've been in awe at Amanda Muggleton playing Maria Callas. There was Miriam Margolyes in I'll Eat You Last. Oh, and Bernadette Robinson in Songs for Nobodies.
Zahra Newman joins this group with her encapsulation of Billie Holliday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.
She is amazing.
Although this is a play, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is more a performance. The Fairfax Studio has been turned into an iconic Philadelphia nightclub. There are audience members on the stage, their presence ripe for the picking. Behind the microphone is the band. Kim Purling, who plays Jimmy Powers on the piano. Dan Witton is on the bass and Edward York is on the drums. For all intents and purposes, it 1959 and Holiday is nearing the end of her life. If you went to see her, you wouldn't know what sort of performance you were going to see. Over the hour and a half of the play, you get to see into elements of her life, and her downfall.
And Newman takes this all in her stride. Obviously, there's been a lot of vocal coaching done over a very long time, but Newman turns herself into Billie Holiday, from every smirk, eyebrow raise, sneer and stumble. She is absolutely phenomenal. Over the play she descends into the darkness of drink and drugs - and again, Newman is on point. Holiday's stories are tinged with sadness and horror, from the story of how her father died, to her experiencing extreme racial prejudice in the Deep South, to her battles with her family, this is more than a few songs being cobbled together on as a play.
Billie and the band play many of her standards. ‘God Bless the Child’, ‘What a Little Moonlight Can Do’, ‘Somebody’s on My Mind’ all turn up, along with the haunting 'Strange Fruit' (which if you haven't heard of it, look it up - it's an incredible, haunting song.)
Lanie Robertson's play is tightly run but gives the cast some free reign. When somebody's phone alarm went off early in the play, the audience member was roasted (and rightly so). This happened where the cast didn't miss a beat. It was also a timely reminder to turn off your phone.
I highly recommend this play, not only for Zahra Newman's amazing performance, or the thought-provoking script, or the wonderful set. I also came for the music. I like jazz. I love this era of music. A piano, a bass and some drums and I am happy.
Beg, borrow, steal or buy a ticket. They're going to be talking about this show for a while to come.
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