The Broadway musical Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill is a riveting experience that recreates the final days of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday. Apart from the record-setting, Tony-winning performance from Audra McDonald, the show provides an intimate look into Holiday’s music in a Broadway setting.
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Set in a bar in Philadelphia, the show recreates a night in 1959 when Holiday performed her classic hits in a smoky nightclub. The show recounts Holiday’s life story through the songs that made her famous as she puts on a performance that, unbeknownst to the audience, would be one of her lasts.
Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday
Set design by James Noone felt reminiscent of a real nightclub from the 50s. The voice of Audra McDonald is THE voice of Billie Holiday! The reaction to the first note out of McDonald’s mouth was of pure, uncensored bewilderment. Hearing that sound again was as if we had traveled back in time to 1959, or if Holiday herself was still alive in 2014 and in her prime!
A Haunting and Evocative Repertoire
Musically, we were treated to a wonderful repertoire of Holiday’s classic songs, including “God Bless the Child,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Strange Fruit,” and “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness.” Through it, we got to know Holiday’s personal pain, her torment, and the reasons that led to her eventual demise.
Update March 2026 Audra McDonald‘s record-setting sixth Tony for Lady Day remains a high-water mark for Broadway history. Since then, she’s continued to work at the highest level on stage and screen. In late 2024, she played Rose in the revival of Gypsy, landing yet another Tony nomination in 2025. On television, she is currently in the fourth season of HBO’s The Gilded Age. Audra is truly a once-in-a-generation talent.
