Mar. 30, 2010: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

IT IS A BILLIE HOLIDAY
CABARET AT THE STAGE
COMPANY.

>> THE LYRIC STAGE COMPANY
OF BOSTON JUST OPENED ITS
NEWEST SHOW, LADY DAY AT
EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL.
LADY DAY DELIVERS THE
BLUES LEGEND BILLIE
HOLIDAY, SHARING STORIES
ABOUT HER ROUGH AND TUMBLE
LIFE, INCLUDING STORIES OF
RAPE, PROSTITUTION, AND
HER HEROIN ADDICTION.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING
US.

>> THANKS, JARED.

>> JACKIE, WHAT DO YOU DO
WHEN YOU TAKE A MONUMENTAL
FIGURE LIKE THIS AND YOU
HAVE TO BRING HER TO THE
STAGE.
DO YOU BRING BILLIE
HOLIDAY OR ARE YOU
BRINGING A CHARACTER?

>> I THINK I BRING,
HOPEFULLY, THE ESSENCE OF
BILLIE HOLIDAY.
NO ONE CAN PLAY BILLIE
HOLIDAY.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO LIVE HER
LIFE AND REALLY KNOW WHAT
THAT LIFE WAS LIKE.
SO I DO THE RESEARCH.
I LISTEN TO HER MUSIC.
I LISTEN TO INTERVIEWS.
THERE AREN'T A WHOLE LOT
OF THEM THAT SHE HAS DONE.
AND A LOT OF STORIES BY
PEOPLE WHO KNEW HER AND
INTERVIEWS THAT WERE
RECORDED OVER THE YEARS.
AND THEN I TRY TO FIND
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SHE
AND MYSELF.
THAT I CAN BRING IN TRUTH
TO THE CHARACTER.
AND THEN BUILD IT FROM
THERE.

>> YOU LOOK FOR
CONNECTIONS IN TERMS OF
HER ARTISTRY?
HOPEFULLY YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO HAVE ANY OF THE
PERSONAL CONNECTIONS.
I HADN'T REALIZED, UNTIL I
WAS GOING THROUGH THE
RESEARCH, WHAT A HORRIBLE,
HORRIBLE LIFE SHE HAD.

>> YOU SAY HORRIBLE,
HORRIBLE, AND YOU NAME
PROSTITUTION AND ALL OF
THESE THINGS, IT IS,
INDEED, PRETTY HORRIBLE,
BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT
BILLIE HOLIDAY WOULD WANT
US TO REMEMBER.
SHE WAS FUNNY.
A JOKESTER.
SHE WAS SENT TO A CATHOLIC
NUNERY AFTER SHE WAS RAPED
WHEN SHE WAS 10.
AND A LOT OF THE JOY OF
WHAT CAME OUT OF BILLIE
WAS AMAZING TO THEM.
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS
FAITH-BASED.
A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T
KNOW SHE WAS A STRONG
CATHOLIC.
AND SHE HAD JOY.
THESE GUYS LOVED HER WHEN
THEY PLAYED MUSIC WITH HER
BECAUSE SHE WAS FUNNY.
SO SHE WASN'T JUST A
TRAGEDY WALKING AROUND.

>> SPIRO, AS THE DIRECTOR,
HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT
COMES OUT.
OF COURSE PEOPLE ARE THERE
TO SEE JACKIE SING, BUT
HOW DO YOU CRAFT IT SO
THAT THE STORY IS FLUID
AND IT ALL COMES TOGETHER?

>> WELL, LADY ROBERTON,
WHO WROTE THE PIECE, GIVES
US THE FRAMEWORK FOR IT.
THAT'S PART OF MY JOB.
TO TAKE THAT FRAMEWORK,
AND TAKE JACKIE'S
PERFORMANCE, AND MELT
THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER.
IN THE WAY THIS PLAY IS
STRUCTURED, THOSE STORIES
ARE ACCENTUATED BY THE
SONGS.
SO WE KIND OF TRY TO FIND
A WAY OF BRINGING THOSE
THINGS TOGETHER.
ONE OF THE THINGS I DIDN'T
WANT TO DO, AND THIS IS
SOMETHING I SAID TO JACKIE
WHEN WE FIRST MET ABOUT
IT.
THE WHOLE IDEA OF LET'S
MIMIC BILLIE HALADAY.
THAT WASN'T GOING TO
HAPPEN, AND I REALLY
DIDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE
PLAY BECAME ABOUT.
WHAT THIS PLEA PLAY IS A
CABARET PERFORMANCE, AND I
PUT THAT IN QUOTATION
MARKS BECAUSE IT IS STILL
THEATER.
I SAID, HOW DO WE DIRECT
THAT?
DO WE DIRECT IT WITH HER
STANDING IN FRONT OF A
MICROPHONE THE WHOLE TIME?
NO.
WE TRIED TO HAVE THINGS
THAT ARE PUBLIC, THAT SHE
DOES DO IN THE MICROPHONE,
AND SOME THINGS THAT ARE A
LITTLE MORE PRIVATE.
WE TRY TO DETERMINE WHICH
THOSE STORIES WERE, WHICH
ONCE WERE PRIVATE AND
WHICH WERE PUBLIC.
I'M A HUGE BILLIE HOLIDAY
FAN, WHICH IS WHY I WANTED
TO DO THIS PARTICULAR FAN,
BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOU
KNEW HER HEART WAS
BREAKING, EVERY ONE OF
THOSE SONGS LIFTED YOUR
HEART.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
ABOUT THIS PIECE.
IT IS NOT JUST BILLIE
HOLIDAY THE PROSTITUTE,
BILLIE HOLIDAY THE DRUG
ADDICT.
IT IS BILLIE HOLIDAY THE
SINGER WHO FOUND AN
INCREDIBLE JOY IN MUSIC.

>> JACKIE, YOU TALKED
ABOUT THAT.
YOU MENTIONED NOT ONLY DID
HER ART CONSUME HER,
BECAUSE SHE DIED SO
LONG -- SHE DIED AT ONLY
44 -- BUT IT SAVED HER.

>> IF SHE DIDN'T HAVE HER
ART, I THINK SHE WOULD
HAVE BEEN DEAD AT 30 OR
MUCH YOUNGER.

>> SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT
I READ INTERESTING STORIES
OF HOW WEAK SHE WAS AT THE
END, BUT SHE WOULD COME
OUT ON STAGE AND YOU HAD
NO SUGGESTION OF HOW
FRAGILE SHE WAS.

>> THAT'S VERY TRUE.
SINGING SAVED HER LIFE.
I THINK THAT IS TRUE FOR
SO MANY ARTISTS.
THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE,
LIKE CHARLIE PARKER --
BECAUSE DRINKING WAS A
PART OF THE CULTURE.
PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HER
BEING A DRUG ADDICT, BUT
IT WAS THE ALCOHOL THAT
KILLED HER.
THE DRUGS DIDN'T HELP.
HEROIN DIDN'T HELP
ANYTHING.
BUT THAT WAS A PART OF THE
CULTURE.
THESE FOLKS WENT OUT AND
DRINK ALL NIGHT.
AND THEY WOULD SING FOR
SIX OR SEVEN HOURS IN A
CLUB FOR TIPS AND MAKE
THEIR LIVING, BUT THEY
ENJOYED DOING THAT.
THAT'S WHAT THEY DID.
BUT I THINK IF BILLIE DID
NOT HAVE THAT MUSIC AND
THOSE SONGS AND ALL OF
THAT LOVE AND RESPECT FROM
ALL OF THE MUSICIANS,
THERE IS NO WAY SHE WOULD
MAKE IT TO 44.

>> SHE HAD TO FIND THE
STAGE AT THE END.
BECAUSE OF THE CONVICTIONS
SHE HAD, SHE WASN'T ALLOW
TO PERFORM?

>> SHE COULDN'T GET A
CABARET CARD.
IN NEW YORK, IT IS
IMPERATIVE THAT ALL
PERFORMERS IN A NIGHTCLUB
HAVE A CABARET CARD.
EVEN THOUGH BILLIE SAYS IN
THE SHOW, IT WAS PRIMARILY
FOR COOKS AND WAITERS SO
THEY WOULD MAKE SURE THEY
DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER
DISEASES OR THEY HAD
FELONY RECORDS.
BUT SHE GOT CAUGHT IN THAT
TRAP.
SO SHE COULDN'T SING.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE
REASONS WHEN SHE GOT OUT
OF PRISON, HER FRIENDS PUT
HER ON THE STAGE AT
CARNEGIE HALL.
SHE WAS ONE OF THE FEW
JAZZ PERFORMERS THAT
REALLY PERFORMED THERE.
THE GREAT BENNY GOODMAN
CONCERT WE ALL KNOW OF,
AND THEN THERE WAS BILLIE
HALADAY'S -- BILLIE
HOLIDAY'S CONCERT AT
CARNEGIE HALL.
ONE OF THE LAST LINES THAT
BILLIE HAS IN THE PLAY IS
"WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"
TALKING ABOUT MUSIC.
I HAVE TO SING.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

>> I THINK WHILE SHE
RESPECTED CARNEGIE HALL
AND KNEW THAT WAS A BIG
DEAL.
SHE LOVED SINGING IN THE
SMALL NIGHTCLUBS.
THOSE SMOKY NIGHTCLUBS
WHERE YOU CAN TOUCH THE
PEOPLE AND YOU CAN SEE
THEM AND KNOW AND FEEL.
AND AS A PERFORMER, I I
UNDERSTAND THAT, WHEN
THEY'RE SO CLOSE.
IN A REALLY WONDERFUL,
INTIMATE THEATER LIKE THE
LYRIC, YOU CAN FEEL THEM.
ONE WOMAN SAID SHE WAS IN
THE LAST ROW AND SHE FELT
LIKE SHE WAS RIGHT DOWN
FRONT AND SHE COULD FEEL
THE PERFORMANCE.

>> THAT WAS ONE OF THE
GOALS WE HAD AS A COMPANY.
JACKIE, AND ALSO CHAUNCEY
MOORE, WHO PLAYS JIMMY IN
THE PIECE, AND WHO IS ALSO
THE MUSIC DIRECTOR, AND A
FABULOUS PIANIST, I SAID,
THE GOAL HERE IS TO TRY TO
GET THIS AUDIENCE, IN THE
INCREDIBLY INTIMATE
SETTING OF THE LYRIC STAGE
COMPANY, TO FEEL THAT
THEY'RE AT EMERSON'S BAR
AND GRILL IN PHILADELPHIA.

>> IT IS A VERY INTIMATE
THEATER.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING
IT THIS WEEKEND.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING.
TOMORROW, A CLASSIC
COLUMBIA POINT.
THEY WANT TO BUILD A
FIRST-EVER DORM FOR
STUDENTS, BUT NEIGHBORS
SAY NOT HERE.
AND THE NEW HEAD OF THE
M.B.T.A.JOINS US HERE.
THAT'S TOMORROW.
I'M JARED BOWEN.
GOOD NIGHT.