{"id":120652,"date":"2023-07-19T19:21:41","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T23:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120652"},"modified":"2023-07-19T19:21:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T23:21:41","slug":"pennsylvania-shakespeare-festival-opens-the-tour-de-force-musical-lady-day-at-emersons-bar-grill-july-19-through-august-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120652","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival opens the tour-de-force musical Lady Day at Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill, July 19 through August 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

Center Valley, PA, July 18, 2023\u2014Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) is proud to present\u00a0Lady Day at Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill<\/em>, written by acclaimed playwright Lanie Robertson with musical arrangements by Danny Holgate.\u00a0<\/strong>Philadelphia award-winning artists\u00a0Amina Robinson\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Ebony Pullum\u00a0<\/strong>reunite to stage\u00a0<\/strong>the production which previews July 19 and 20, opens Friday, July 21 and runs through August 6 in the Schubert Theatre at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.<\/p>\n

The setting is 1959, and the intimate Schubert Theatre transforms into the Philadelphia bar where legendary jazz songstress Billie Holiday takes the stage to deliver one of her final performances. In this engrossing tour-de-force musical, Billie tells her own story, interlaced with more than a dozen of her most famous songs, including \u201cGod Bless the Child,\u201d \u201cStrange Fruit,\u201d \u201cWhat a Little Moonlight Can Do,\u201d and \u201cAin\u2019t Nobody\u2019s Business if I Do.\u201d Patrons can choose optional table seating directly on the stage for a front row seat to experience the\u00a0 song and storytelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going for the realism at the heart of\u00a0Lady Day<\/em>, the caf\u00e9-table route for the kind of immersive experience the play suggests,\u201d says Director\u00a0Amina Robinson.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cBut I want it to succeed spiritually as well, to allow the audience to feel as if, \u2018Wow! That felt like I was in the room with Billie Holiday.\u2019 That\u2019s the mood I\u2019m after.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Robinson accepted the offer to direct the PSF production, she recommended friend, South Philly neighbor, and professional colleague\u00a0Ebony Pullum<\/strong>\u00a0to play the titular role.\u00a0Among their shared accolades, both artists received Barrymore Awards, an award honoring professional theatre in Philadelphia, in 2019 for\u00a0The Color Purple<\/em>\u00a0at Theatre Horizon. Robinson became the first Black woman to win a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical, and Pullum won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Shrug Avery.<\/p>\n

An actress, singer and teaching artist based out of Philadelphia and New York City,\u00a0Pullum<\/strong>\u00a0reprises the role of Holiday following her performances at Florida Repertory Theatre and Curio Theatre Company. For Pullum, the chance to play Billie for a third time offers the opportunity for \u201cnew discoveries\u201d allowing her and Robinson to \u201cdig more deeply into the character and nuance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining them is the production\u2019s music director\u00a0Cedric D. Lyles<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>who\u00a0<\/strong>will accompany Pullum onstage as Billie Holiday\u2019s pianist Jimmy Powers.\u00a0Originally from Washington, D.C., Lyles is an arts administrator, educator, performing artist, and a skilled pianist and musician who has served Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Everyman Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, and other arts organizations in the D.C.\/Baltimore Metro area. As a musical director and performer, he focuses on \u201ctelling a story through music and encouraging actors to make musical choices that support the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transforming the Schubert Theatre into Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill are\u00a0Trey Brazeal\u00a0<\/strong>(lighting designer),\u00a0Charlie Calvert\u00a0<\/strong>(scenic designer),\u00a0Larry D. Fowler, Jr.\u00a0<\/strong>(sound designer), and\u00a0Levonne Lindsay<\/strong>\u00a0(costume designer). The Stage Manager is\u00a0Ashani Smith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Patrons can also enjoy a cameo appearance by\u00a0Bruno Pullum King<\/strong>\u2014the leading lady\u2019s (Pullum) real life dog companion will play Holiday\u2019s pet Pepi.\u00a0This is Bruno\u2019s second appearance playing the role of Pepi with his person and he is simply happy to make his PSF debut.<\/p>\n

To enhance the Festival experience, audiences can enjoy live music and a variety of dining options \u201cOn the Green\u201d before every show. Other special offerings are an Opening Night post-show champagne toast in the lobby with the PSF Company on Friday, July 21; a talk back with the actors after the show on Thursday, July 27 and August 3; and an Audio Described performance on Saturday, August 5, 2:00pm.<\/p>\n

PSF would like to extend special thanks to its Sponsors: Production Co-Sponsors\u00a0Lutron<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0The Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation<\/strong>; Actor Sponsors\u00a0Lee and Dolly Butz<\/strong>; the 2023 Season Sponsors\u00a0Yvonne Payne and Edward Spitzer<\/strong>; and the Associate Season Sponsors\u00a0Douglas Dykhouse<\/strong>,\u00a0Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth<\/strong>,\u00a0Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E. Nolan<\/strong>,\u00a0The Szarko Family<\/strong>, and\u00a0Harry C. Trexler Trust<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 610.282.WILL [9455] or by visiting the PSF box office at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

Summer 2023 Season:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schubert Stage:\u00a0Henry IV, Part 2<\/em>\u00a0(May 31 to June 11);\u00a0James and the Giant Peach\u00a0<\/em>(July 7 to Aug 5);\u00a0Lady Day at Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill<\/em>\u00a0(July 19 to August 6).<\/p>\n

Main Stage:\u00a0In the Heights\u00a0<\/em>(June 14 to July 2);\u00a0The Tempest<\/em>\u00a0(July 12 to August 6); Jane Austen\u2019s\u00a0Sense and Sensibility<\/em>\u00a0(July 20 to August 6);\u00a0Shakespeare for Kids<\/em>\u00a0(July 26 to August 5).<\/p>\n

Outdoor Summer Stage:\u00a0The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]<\/em>\u00a0[again]<\/em>\u00a0(June 28 to July 16).<\/p>\n

\u201cPlay On!\u201d\u00a0A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u00a0<\/em>Community Tour: (June 2 to June 18).<\/p>\n

Artistic Leadership, Cast, and Creative Bios, here.<\/a><\/p>\n

About Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is the only professional Equity theatre of its scope and scale within a 50-mile radius. PSF is one of only a handful of theatres on the continent producing Shakespeare, musicals, classics, and contemporary plays, all of which can normally be seen in repertory and in multiple spaces within a few visits in a single summer season. Similarly, PSF was among just a handful of theatres on the continent in recent summers to produce three Shakespeare plays in a single summer season. A patron would have to travel seven to nine hours from PSF to find a comparable range of offerings at a single theatre within a few weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

The Festival\u2019s award-winning company of many world-class artists includes Broadway, film, and television veterans, and winners and nominees of the Tony, Emmy, Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Jefferson, Hayes, Lortel, and Barrymore awards. A leading Shakespeare theatre with a national reputation for excellence, PSF has received coverage in\u00a0The Washington Post<\/em>,\u00a0NPR<\/em>,\u00a0American Theatre Magazine<\/em>, Playbill.com,\u00a0The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>, and in recent seasons\u00a0The New York<\/em>\u00a0Times\u00a0<\/em>has identified PSF as one of the leading summer theatre festivals in the nation. \u201cA world-class theater experience on a par with the top Bard fests,\u201d is how one New York Drama Desk reviewer characterized PSF.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1992 and the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PSF\u2019s mission is to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience through first-rate productions of classical and contemporary plays, with a core commitment to Shakespeare and other master dramatists, and through an array of education and mentorship programs. A not-for-profit theatre, PSF receives significant support from its host, DeSales University, from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Traditionally, with 150 performances over ten weeks, the Festival attracts patrons each summer from 30+ states. In 30 years, PSF has offered 200+ total productions (82 Shakespeare), and entertained 1,000,000+ patrons from 50 states, now averaging 34,000-40,000 in attendance each summer season, plus another 13,000 students each year through its WillPower Tour to schools. PSF is a multi-year recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts:\u00a0Shakespeare in<\/em>\u00a0American Communities<\/em>, and is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, and the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA). In 2013, leaders of the world\u2019s premiere Shakespeare theatres gathered at PSF as the Festival hosted the international STA Conference. The Festival\u2019s vision is for world-class theatre.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nTina Louise Slak
\nPennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
\nThe Professional Theatre at DeSales University
\n2755 Station Avenue
\nCenter Valley, PA 18034
\np: 610-282-WILL [9455]\nwww.pashakespeare.org<\/p>\n

\n

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Center Valley, PA, July 18, 2023\u2014Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) is proud to present\u00a0Lady Day at Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill, written by acclaimed playwright Lanie Robertson with musical arrangements by Danny … Continue reading Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival opens the tour-de-force musical Lady Day at Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill, July 19 through August 6<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/PSF.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120652"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/112516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}