Jenece  Upton  Is  Completely  Amazing  as  Billie
Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

The Temple Theatre of Sanford will present Laine Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill,
directed by Peggy Ta[horn and starring Jenece Upton as Billie Holiday, on Feb. 23-March 12

There are many reasons to see Laine Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill at the Temple Theatre of Sanford. First and foremost is an incredible star turn by Jenece Upton as the great American jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915-59).

The show is set around midnight at a small Philadelphia bar and grill. It takes place in 1959, not long before Billie Holiday died, at age 44, due to alcohol-related liver disease. Billie (often referred to as "Lady Day") intersperses her cabaret-style jazz and blues numbers with stories about her life. As the evening progresses, Lady Day becomes more and more inebriated and loses focus on everything except her remarkable song stylings.

Even though Chicago-based singer and actress Jenece Upton is completely amazing as she transforms for the role, there are many other highlights. First of all, the accompaniment is performed live and onstage by a trio of wonderful musicians. Most of the Temple Theatre shows use prerecorded music. Even though sound designer Patrick Holt handles this seamlessly, it was an added treat to see the musicians perform live.

Lady Day stars (from left) Gavan Pamer (piano), Stephen Hambright (drums), Jenece Upton (vocals), and Larry Arnold (stand-up bass)

Temple Theatre musical director Gavan Pamer deftly handled the piano. To me, the real treat was listening to and watching Larry Arnold on stand-up bass and Stephen Hambright on drums. As a jazz aficionado myself, I know you will appreciate the light touch and surgical skill of these musicians.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is directed by Temple Theatre producing artistic director Peggy Taphorn. I was able to discuss with her some of the challenges of balancing the talents of her actress vs. the closeness to the vocal quality and mannerisms of Billie Holiday. I can only say that they found the right mix.

Although I frequently encourage people to bring their kids to many of the area shows, I would suggest the opposite here unless they are really into jazz. I am 64 and Holiday died when I was a one year old. Even I only recognized a few of the songs. Still, of particular note were Holiday's signature song, "God Bless the Child." and the absolutely haunting "Strange Fruit."

The Temple Theatre of Sanford will present Laine Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill,
directed by Peggy Ta[horn and starring Jenece Upton as Billie Holiday, on Feb. 23-March 12

One more point ... don't feel that you need to be a jazz snob like me to enjoy this show. Besides the tour-de-force performance by Jenece Upton, the story is informative and educational. The fellow behind me in the ticket line was reading the program and was shocked to learn the Billie Holiday was a woman rather than a man. He walked out of the theater smiling.

The Temple Theatre shows are reasonably priced, and the beautiful and comfortable building is 30-50 minutes from nearly anywhere in the Triangle. Please support this wonderful venue.

Lady Day stars (from left) Gavan Pamer (piano), Stephen Hambright (drums), Jenece Upton (vocals), and Larry Arnold (stand-up bass)

Laine Robertson's LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL (In Person at 2 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24-26 and March 2-5 and 9-12), directed by Peggy Taphorn, with music direction by Gavan Pamer, and starring Jenece Upton as Billie Holiday (Temple Theatre of Sanford). TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szmcVca0jiQ. THE PRESENTER/VENUE: http://templeshows.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TempleTheatreNC, https://www.instagram.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://twitter.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Theatre_(Sanford,_North_Carolina), and https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. 2022-23 MAIN-STAGE SEASON: http://templeshows.com/#mainstage. DIRECTIONS: http://templeshows.com/contact. COVID-19 GUIDELINES: http://templeshows.com/tickets/temple-theatre-covid-guidelines. LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL (1986 Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, 1986 Off-Broadway, and 2014 Broadway musical): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/735/lady-day-at-emersons-bar-and-grill, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/1306, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/lady-day-at-emersons-bar-grill-496516, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Day_at_Emerson%27s_Bar_and_Grill. LANIE ROBERTSON: https://www.garrymarshalltheatre.org/lanie-robertson, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/3407, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/lanie-robertson-496519, and https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731930/. BILLIE HOLIDAY (legendary jazz singer, nee Eleanora Fagan, 1915-59): https://billieholiday.com/, https://www.biography.com/musicians/billie-holiday, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/billie-holiday, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/billie-holiday-45383, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0390507/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Billie-Holiday, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday. JENECE UPTON (Chicago-based actress and singer): http://graytalentgroup.com/talent/jenece-upton/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenece-upton-23172822, https://www.facebook.com/jenece.upton, https://www.instagram.com/jenecejanice/, and https://www.youtube.com/@jeneceupton2349. NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and there is a hearing-loop system is available for all devices with T-coil wireless receivers. TICKETS: $29 ($17 students and $27 active-duty military personnel and Lee County educators), plus taxes and fees, except $27 per person for groups of 10 or more. Click here to buy tickets. GROUP RATES (10+ tickets): http://templeshows.com/tickets#id-928. INFORMATION: 919-774-4155 or boxoffice@templeshows.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Temple Theatre of Sanford.

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