Musical event captures one of Billie Holiday’s final performances

Actress and singer Angela Wildflower brings Billie Holiday’s story and music to life in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” an intimate and powerful musical Feb. 19-22 in Whitefish.  

Set in a South Philadelphia bar in March 1959, four months before the legendary jazz singer’s death at 44, the show follows Holiday, whose nickname is Lady Day, as she shares her life story through iconic songs such as "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child" and "Crazy He Calls Me," interlaced with funny, raw, heartbreaking stories.  

Wildflower has appeared on Broadway, TV and film in “Motown the Musical,” “Atlanta,” “Blue Bloods,” and “Roxanne Roxanne.” She’s also the founder of Dream Camps, which brings the arts to children across the country.  

“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” is directed by LaTrisa Harper and presented at the Alpine Theatre Project. Harper is an accomplished director, choreographer and has also performed on Broadway in “The Color Purple” and “The Lion King.”   

Shows will be held in ATP Studios located inside the Whitefish Mountain Center mall, 6475 U.S. 93 S., which has been transformed into a club setting with table seating, a live jazz band and a working bar to create an immersive experience where Holiday’s songs and stories can unfold “honestly, powerfully and without distance," according to the Alpine Theatre Project.  

Performances start at 7 p.m. Feb. 19-20. A 3 p.m. matinee scheduled for Feb. 22 will be followed by a talkback with the actress and director.  

General admission tickets start at $39 for back row seats. Tickets to be seated in the first two to four rows, cost $59. This section will include chairs and side tables for drinks and snacks. Table seating near the stage is $150 for two people and $300 for three to four people. Buy tickets online at atpwhitefish.org.