The Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities will honor legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in late September. Emerson’s Bar & Grill will transform into an immersive cabaret as it celebrates the music of Billie Holiday with Lady Day, the second production in the Arvada Center’s 2025-2026 theatre season. Lady Day is an intimate solo performance with a live jazz trio, with Billie Holiday portrayed by Essence Anisa Tyler, making her Arvada Center debut with this role.
The audience will have the choice between traditional theatre seating and cabaret tables that immerse them in Holiday’s show at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.
Lady Day envelops you in the enticing, often melancholic sounds of Billie Holiday, one of American jazz music’s greatest voices. With haunting and iconic songs like “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child,” this intimate cabaret experience will thrill you and bring one of the most enigmatic legends to life. The title of the play references the nickname Billie Holiday earned from her friend and music partner, Lester Young.
Directed by Christopher Page-Sanders, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill runs from September 26 to November 2, 2025.
“I am deeply honored to direct Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill at the Arvada Center,” says Christopher Page-Sanders. “Billie Holiday’s life is a haunting story of beauty and tragedy. While she gifted the world some of its most powerful, soul-stirring music, few truly grasped the emotional toll of the pain and sorrow it took.” He continues: “In this play, Lanie Robertson has brilliantly crafted a window into Billie’s inner world, and captures her humanity, defiance, and unwavering resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship. It’s a rare and poignant opportunity to see beyond the legend and witness the raw truth of a woman who gave everything to her art.”
Tickets start at $51. To learn more about Billie Holiday’s life as well as the show, and to purchase tickets to Lady Day, visit the production webpage here.
