Audra McDonald makes her unaccountably long-awaited London theatrical debut in the most astonishing way possible in this devastating re-telling of the story of Billie Holiday
Mark Ludmon hears from Audra McDonald about her “long journey” to playing Billie Holiday on stage I fell in love with the voice of Audra McDonald when I first saw her perform as part of the Divas at the Donmar season in 1999. Combining a pure soprano with emotional intensity, she was already a three-time Tony winner for Carousel, Ragtime and Master Class and went on to appear in more musicals and serious dramas, including Raisin in the Sun which earned her another Tony award. Despite a stellar career on the American stage and screen and a number of best-selling solo albums, she has remarkably never performed in a musical in London’s West End. This is about to change when she takes to the stage of the Wyndham’s Theatre to play Billie Holliday in the transfer of her 2014 hit Broadway show, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. It … Read more
If you can get a ticket for the remaining shows, do. If not, she’ll be at the Wyndham’s as ‘Lady Day’ in May. Perfect.
Following the postponement of Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill last year due to the joyous news of Audra McDonald’s Pregnancy, an announcement has been made that the show will transfer to the West End this Summer, opening at Wyndham’s Theatre on 17 June 2017. Audra McDonald, the Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer, will be making her West End debut portraying jazz legend Billie Holiday in a performance that won her a record-breaking sixth Tony Award. Audra is the first and only person to receive awards in all four acting categories. Written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Lonny Price, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill recounts Holiday’s life story through the songs that made her famous, including “God Bless the Child,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Strange Fruit” and “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness.” Read our review of the Broadway production. 1959, in a small, intimate bar … Read more
