Inspired by the legendary 1956 concert at which Billie’s music was accompanied by extracts from her autobiography Lady Sings the Blues, David McAlmont gives his unique interpretations of the Lady Day catalogue while quoting from her extraordinary life story.
With a band led by pianist/MD Alex Webb, the show includes many of the most well-known Holiday songs, ranging from the optimism of her 1930s work (What A Little Moonlight Can Do, Fine And Mellow) through her 1940s Torch songs (My Man, I Cover The Waterfront) to her self-penned classics Don’t Explain and Lady Sings The Blues – and many more.
Holiday’s memoir Lady Sings the Blues remains a unique document. The New York Herald Tribune called it, ‘One of the most candid self-portraits ever painted on a typewriter’, and it retains the power to shock and intrigue more than half a century later.
“Very probably the finest singing voice I’ve ever heard, he was also spookily, unnervingly like Holiday… It was as if he has somehow channeled her spirit.” outlineonline.co.uk
Venue Details
A pioneering theatre with a unique Northern Voice, locally rooted, global in outlook, inspiring artists, audiences and communities to reach their greatest potential. We produce and present inspiring theatre that reflects the diversity of a modern Britain. We provide the resources, space and support to grow people and ideas, are an ambassador for our city, a flagship for our region and a welcoming home for our communities. Through our work with schools and local communities we engage with thousands of young people, disabled groups and adults, offering opportunities to participate in the arts, whether as the first step into a career, a way to build confidence and meet new people, or as part of a rounded education.
Facilities
Accessible Toilets
Baby Changing
Blue-Badge Parking
Hearing Loop
Level Access
Wheelchair Access
