Billie! Backstage With Lady Day
Reviewed by Julia Lloyd George
Sierra Madre Playhouse
Thru Jan. 22
You shouldn’t expect a typical play going into Synthia L. Hardy’s tribute to Billie Holiday. Strikingly similar to the format of Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Hardy’s Billie! Backstage with Lady Day consists of Billie recounting stories from her life between songs as she gets progressively more drunk.
A lot of pressure is on Hardy to deliver here, as the entire production rests on her ability to charismatically share anecdotes via monologue, and to sing. Thankfully, she’s a charming entertainer capable of holding an audience’s attention, often throwing out cheeky questions to audience members about their own love lives; they are the unseen characters, after all, since they represent the reporters to whom Holiday is giving autobiographical tidbits. Those include the milestones of her life: the time she was raped as a child and consequently sent to a Catholic reform school by the state, her discovery in a Harlem nightclub, touring with Artie Shaw’s band, her abusive relationships, and her trial for narcotics possession. But for all dark interiors such exposition could provide, these revelations are tossed out more like Wikipedia entries – generic hardship rather than the cause of emotional turmoil. As such, I found myself aloof from the proceedings, though curious to know more.
These stories are full of tragedy, obviously, but Hardy generally conveys them with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a sly smile. Though she breaks down crying once, the emotional range of her speech does not fluctuate too much. I would guess that this is partly because she’s only meant to be talking to reporters she’s never met before; it makes sense that she’s a bit withholding.
The only other speaking role belongs to Piano Man (Lanny Hartley), an affable sounding board for Billie that is nevertheless mostly silent and sitting at a piano with his back to the audience. He’s able to live up to his name properly in the second half of the show, which is entirely songs performed in a proper concert setting with a full band including drums (Bobby Wilkerson), sax (David “D Wake” Wakefield), and bass (Michael Saucier).
If you are a true Holiday or jazz fan, you will likely enjoy this section, as it’s when the music takes over almost entirely; the “theatrical” element of the show is past, so you can pretend you’re in a 1950s jazz club without the benefit of a martini. Though Hardy doesn’t go for an imitation of Holiday’s distinctive vocal style, she still makes an appealing cabaret singer. The band is especially gifted and the solo performances from each of them, particularly Mr. Wakefield on sax, were standout moments. Even if the end of the show feels slightly anti-climactic, it’s difficult to be too disappointed. It’s not about rousing drama here, after all; it’s about a brief interlude back in time.
Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre; Fri.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 2pm; through Jan. 22nd. https://sierramadreplayhouse.org or (626) 355-4318. Running time: 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.
