Billie Holiday: Front and Center

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Fremont Centre Theatre
Through June 19

Fans of “swing” and the singing of Billie Holiday will appreciate the music in Billie Holiday: Front and Center. The show, directed by B’Anca, features Sybil Harris as the renowned songstress, who suffered racist affronts throughout her professional career but ultimately wowed audiences at Carnegie Hall before dying prematurely of cirrhosis of the liver at age 44.

The harmonies of a talented quartet — Michael Saucier on bass, David Patterson on sax, Fritz Wise on drums and musical director Cassey McCoy on piano — serve as both prelude and accompaniment to this musical biography. The instrumentals are terrific, and Harris, who has impersonated the singer in prior productions, lets loose with some soulful numbers. The apt lighting (no one is credited) underscores renditions of “Strange Fruit” and “Good Morning, Heartache” and the like, making these heartbreakers seem even more dramatic and compelling.

The problems with the production lie in Harris’ book. The narrative begins with Holiday’s childhood and segues into a series of non-musical dramatic sketches that portray the singer’s life, with Harris assuming multiple speaking roles throughout. Quite a few of these scenes take place between Holiday and her mother, who Harris portrays as a selfish person who continually berates her daughter and withholds love and emotional support. In scenes depicting Holiday’s brushes with the law, the performer also portrays a judge or attorney or corrections officer. In other scenes, members of the band briefly appear as various men in Holiday’s life: for example, legendary saxophonist Lester Young, who reported christened her “Lady Day,” and Joe Guy, who got her started on the drugs that precipitated her downfall.

While Harris possesses a warm presence and an appealing vulnerability, she’s not a seasoned dramatic performer by any stretch. It requires exceptional talent to play all parts in a (mostly) solo show and enact both sides of a given conversation. This performer just hasn’t those chops. Her difficulties are exacerbated by the book’s simplistic dialogue, which tracks the basic events in Holiday’s life with little texture or depth.

The first act, heavier on the narrative, is especially weak, but the second act improves because there are many more musical numbers. The jazz solos, Saucier on bass especially, but also Patterson on sax — are especially memorable.

Fremont Center, 1000 Fremont Ave. at El Centro, S. Pasadena; Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through June 19. (800) 836-3006, brownpapertickets.com.  Running time: two hours with a 15 minute intermission.