Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

It’s 1959. In a small bar in Philadelphia that’s seen better days, one of the greatest jazz singers of all-time, Billie Holiday walks onstage. Unbeknownst to her audience, it will be one of her last performances. The jazz trio start to play, her incomparable voice fills the room. The songs flow – Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do, What a Little Moonlight Can Do, Strange Fruit, Don’t Explain, God Bless the Child – but so do the stories. Tales of her youth and her heroes – of Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and her beloved mother, the Duchess. Hard times, happy times. Love, oppression, addiction but survival, courage and grace. And to the music she keeps returning: “Singin’ is livin’ to me”. With signature charm and wit, she laughs more than she cries, as she tells us how she came to be known as the great Lady Day.

It takes an extraordinary talent to capture another extraordinary talent and in Zahra Newman, audiences will find just that.

After delighting audiences in leading roles onstage in shows like The Book of Mormon and A Raisin in the Sun and on-screen in Wentworth, Neighbours and Rosehaven, Newman’s talent and musical mastery takes full flight in a show the New York Daily News calls “a spell-binding tour-de-force – captivating, surprising and satisfying”.

“Turns jazz songs and standards into searching, and searing, portraits of life and love gone wrong that cast a shimmering spell.” New York Times

“It’s stunning, it’s heartbreaking. The anguish and fury in it is heart-stopping.” Huffington Post

“A legend is forever, and if Lady Day doesn’t bring its subject back, it does justice to her enduring spirit.” USA Today

Zahra as Billie is guaranteed to be one of the performances of the century. I have always loved both the beauty and melancholy of Billie Holiday’s golden voice and artistry. I have likewise always been in awe of Zahra’s great charisma and skill. And when Zahra sings, like Billie, she reaches to the centre of the earth and up to the heavens. You’ll be in heaven in this cabaret club that we will create in the Space Theatre. Book early to get a table onstage. You’ll never want to leave. Mitchell

Listen to a playlist featuring the songs of Billie Holiday as featured in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.

CONTENT
Adult themes, coarse language, smoking of herbal cigarettes, references to sex, assault, racism, racial slurs and depiction of drug and alcohol use.

For select performances of the season, Elenoa Rokobaro will be playing the role of Billie Holiday. For more information, please contact tickets@statetheatrecompany.com.au or call 08 8415 5333.

RUN TIME
1 hour 30 minutes (no interval).

Tickets are available via Ticketek.

VISIT TICKETEK

Single Ticket Prices

PREVIEW/MATINEE
Adult $85.00
Concession $75.00
Under 30, Full Time Student $49.00

EVENING
Adult $95.00
Concession $85.00
Under 30, Full Time Student $49.00

Bookings via State Theatre Company South Australia ticketing incur a $8.95 transaction fee.
Bookings via Ticketek incur an $9.25 transaction fee.
Visit the Ticket Price page for the full list of subscription and single ticket prices.

Audio Described Performances and Pre-Show Briefing for blind and low-vision patrons
Saturday 2 September, 1pm (briefing), 2pm (performance) – click here to book online
Monday 4 September, 5.30pm (briefing), 6.30pm (performance with post-show Q and A) – click here to book online

Audio Described Performances can be booked online, via phone on 08 8415 5353 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm), or via email at tickets@statetheatrecompany.com.au.

Wheelchair access & Companion Cards
Wheelchair accessible seats, companion cards and other accessible bookings can be made via phone on 08 8415 5353 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm), or via email at tickets@statetheatrecompany.com.au.

Pay-what-you-can tickets
Pay-what-you-can tickets are available for people who hold a Healthcare Card and Pensioner Concession Card. Simply donate a minimum of $5 to attend any matinee or Wednesday evening performance. Pay-what-you-can tickets can be purchased at the venue box office from 60 minutes before the performance and must be paid for via credit/debit card as the venues are now cashless.

Please note: Pay-what-you-can tickets are subject to availability. We do not offer pay-what-you-can tickets to opening night performances. Pay-what-you-can tickets cannot be purchased in advance.

Company Rush tickets
Last minute tickets are available to all matinee and Wednesday evening performances at the box office 60 minutes before the show starts for only $39. Booking fees apply.

Please note: Company Rush tickets are subject to availability and no other offers or conditions apply. Rush tickets will not be available to opening night performances. 

Under 30s /Full-time Student Offer
We offer heavily subsidised tickets to young people aged 30 or under and full-time students (school-aged or tertiary), as part of our role in promoting the future of South Australian culture. Tickets are only $49 for any performance date and can be booked online. Simply show your Proof of Age Card or Student Card when purchasing your ticket or at the venue. Booking fees apply.

MEAA Member
We offer exclusive discounted ticket prices for all our shows for MEAA Members. MEAA tickets must be booked via phone, call our Ticketing team on 08 8415 5353 for more information and to book, or email tickets@statetheatrecompany.com.au. Booking fees apply.

More Information
Visit the Access page for more information on our Access Program.

Subscriber Briefing

2023 Subscribers are invited to join us for an exclusive Subscriber Briefing to learn more about the creation of the show.
– 21 August – click here for more information

Post Show Q&As

We hold Q&As with our artists and creative teams so that you can ask questions about the production.
– 4 September
– 6 September Matinee

A Date with State