Audra McDonald Will Channel Billie Holiday on Broadway This Spring

Capturing the charisma of Billie Holiday is no easy task, but actress Audra McDonald is up for the challenge. The five-time Tony Award-winner will star in Lanie Robertson‘s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, a musical based on one of Holiday’s last performances in 1959.

Directed by Lonny Price, the show takes place in a small jazz club in Philadelphia and features Holiday’s classics such as “Somebody’s On My Mind,” “Don’t Explain” and “Strange Fruit.” Thanks to intimate set design, a few lucky audience members will even be able to sit on stage and listen to McDonald channel Holiday in all her soulful glory.

Previews begin March 25 at the Circle in the Square Theatre, with opening night slated for April 13.