Nobody said it better than Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. Women really do make the world go ‘round, so this month’s column previews theater that tells the stories of strong, independent women who have and continue to craft lasting legacies. We’ve also included a roundup of DC Theatre Week, running from September 26 to October 13, in case you needed a reminder of why you absolutely shouldn’t miss this performing arts extravaganza (discounted tickets, anyone?). See you there!
On Right Now
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,
Mosaic Theater Company
Showing Sep 5 – Oct 6
www.mosaictheater.org
Step back to March of 1959 and watch in awe as the iconic Billie Holiday – known as Lady Day – once again takes to the stage to wrap her sweet, smoldering voice around you like a loving embrace.
This journey to the past is courtesy of Mosaic Theater Company’s Reginald L. Douglas, who is directing Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill in partnership with Washington Performing Arts. Robertson’s play opened in Atlanta, GA in 1986 and is an intimate portrayal of the life of the imitable Billie Holiday as told through a repertoire of her most popular songs. This legendary jazz singer with an unmatched vocal range is being given soul again by DC’s equally legendary Roz White in a theater at the Atlas Performing Arts Center that’s been cleverly disguised as a smoky jazz bar in Philadelphia.
White, who has several Helen Hayes Awards in recognition of her outstanding contribution to music and theater in DC, has always felt a special connection to Holiday. “The preparation for me is digging into the parts of myself that are very similar. I’ve studied the great ladies of Jazz, Blues and Soul my entire life. Billy Holiday is another legend that I’ve been celebrating. I’ve been connected to her forever.”
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill takes place in the twilight years of Holiday’s career -when the ravages of drugs, alcohol and sporadic bouts of imprisonment began to take their toll on the singer’s body and voice. But White is adamant that her rendition of Holiday is a tribute to the songstresses’ ions and dreams on and off the stage, rather than a story about substance abuse. “The preparation has been to remove any negative connotations. Life is life. What we may not know is that she wanted to cook, and she wanted kids. She gets to tell those stories and gets to be human. I’m not trying to do an impersonation of Billie Holiday. What we’re doing is celebrating the light that she brought into the world with her music.”
Robertson’s musical selections cover the full range of Holiday’s inspirations, from Bessie Smith (Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer) to Abel Meeropol’s hauntingly evocative Strange Fruit. While Holiday’s career peak predated the onset of the Civil Rights movement, her determination to perform only on her and craft her own sound were the seeds of a larger agitation against disenfranchisement. “I believe Strange Fruit was the beginning of art as activism.” White agrees. “Actually singing a song in protest.”
Something to look forward to will be the chemistry between White and her band , specifically William Knowles (on piano) and Greg Holloway (on drums and percussion), both of whom she’s worked with for over 25 years. White’s synchronicity with her musicians mirrors that of Holiday and the men she performed with on stages from Café Society to Carnegie Hall. “William called me a bourbon drinking, trash talking jazz musician in rehearsal and I was like, yes! That’s it!” White laughs. “It’s going to feel like family up on that stage.”
In the Spotlight Theatre Week
From September 26 to October 13, DC audiences will be immersed in the plethora of award-winning creativity that embodies theater in our city. Theatre Week is Theatre Washington’s annual homage to the city’s creative stage family, where you’ll be able to chat to playwrights, actors, directors, producers, and theater experts while walking, biking or bussing DC’s many stages.
African Hair Braiding.
Amy Austin, CEO and President of Theatre Washington, says Theatre Week is all about celebrating the city’s theater community. “There’s so much collaboration that happens.” Austin says. “Between artists, designers. It’s very close knit in many ways and that allows for conversations that connect them. We think of Theater Week as a time of exploring and discovery. We create events that get people out and thinking about theater. You’re able to learn more about the community and who’s in it.”
African Hair Braiding.
One of the purposes of Theater Week, Austin points out, is to cover the broad range of stage experiences possible in DC, from Woolly Mammoth’s gritty experimental shows to Arena Stage’s big-ticket pageants. ”The variety of theater that we have and the diversity of voices is what Theater Week brings to the surface.” Austin’s top recommendations for DC Theatre Week? “It’s so hard to pick out particular productions, because I want people to pick out what speaks to them. What kind of theatre do you want to see? There are lots of great productions coming. There are over 30 to choose from!”
Don’t miss: The City on the River Concert,
Sunday, September 22 at 2 p.m.
at The Wharf in SW DC
This event is totally free but does require registration. You’ll be able to experience the talents of 15 of DC’s superstar performers for 90 minutes up close and personal, and Melani N. Douglass—a DC based artist, curator, thinker and leader—will exhibit an installation and facilitate intimate community conversations focused on the impact of theater.
The Theatre Week Kickoff Fest,
Saturday, September 28
from 1 to 5 p.m
at Arena Stage (1101 6th St SW).
Not only will you get to have conversations with theater makers from over 40 DC theaters, but you’ll also get to witness John Johnson’s Playback Interactive Theatre, where Johnson and his performers will enact community stories gathered during the event and “play them back” to audiences. There’s no charge to attend this event but you’ll need to to attend.
To for tickets and learn more about DC Theatre Week’s full schedule including bike and walking tours of DC theaters, visit www.theatreweek.org.
Catch before Closing
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,
Arena Stage
Showing Sep 6 – Oct 13
www.arenastage.org
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding is open for business! Ghanian-American playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s play about a group of close-knit West African immigrant women sharing secrets, laughs, hopes and aspirations within the sanctified space of Jaja’s hair salon in Harlem premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club last year and will feature Victoire Charles as Jaja for its Arena Stage debut.
Charles is from Queens and understudied the role of Jaja during the Broadway run. She feels a deep affinity with this tale of strong women fighting for acceptance, respect, recognition, and independence. “Our first rehearsal was a day of beautiful tears.” She confides. “The connection we have to these characters and the connection we have to Jocelyn; she’s a force beyond.” Bioh’s play spotlights the hallowed ground of hair salons that you’d recognize from the streets of Lagos to the alleys of Harlem.
As a first-generation American citizen born of Haitian parents who immigrated to New York in the 1960s, Charles resonates with the undercurrent of identity politics that forms part of the play’s narrative. She’s also aware of the life-changing power of being able to see a story you identify with up on stage. “The stars of the show are these women that Jaja has wrangled together to make this prosperous business. She knows their hopes and dreams and let downs. You’re going to see everyone’s American Dream unfold. All the things they left behind and the things they’re hoping for in the future.”
The relatability of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, as Charles says, is being able to see the sacrifices that people make for those they love to build a legacy that outlasts themselves. And that’s a story that everyone can identify with.
