[02/22/16 - 10:39 AM] Tony, Grammy and Emmy(R) Winner Audra McDonald Brings Her Acclaimed Performance in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" to HBO; Special Debuts March 12 Filmed before a live audience at Cafe Brasil in New Orleans, the special features McDonald in her history-making, tour de force performance as the jazz icon.
[via press release from HBO]
TONY, GRAMMY AND EMMY(R) WINNER AUDRA MCDONALD BRINGS HER ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE IN "LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL" TO HBO; SPECIAL DEBUTS MARCH 12
Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald brings her acclaimed portrayal of Billie Holiday in the Broadway smash "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" to HBO, with the exclusive presentation scheduled to debut SATURDAY, MARCH 12 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT). Filmed before a live audience at Cafe Brasil in New Orleans, the special features McDonald in her history-making, tour de force performance as the jazz icon.
Other HBO playdates: March 12 (1:55 a.m.), 16 (3:20 p.m., 11:30 p.m.), 19 (1:45 p.m.), 21 (4:45 p.m., 10:30 p.m.), 24 (3:45 a.m.), 27 (12:30 p.m.) and 30 (2:55 a.m.), and April 7 (12:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m.)
The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.
Originally written for off-Broadway by Lanie Roberston in 1987, LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL tells Holiday's life story through the songs that made her famous, including "God Bless the Child," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Strange Fruit" and "Taint Nobody's Biz-ness."
McDonald made history and became Broadway's most decorated performer when she won her sixth Tony Award, for "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill," in 2014. In addition to setting the record for most competitive wins by an actor, she also became the first person to receive awards in all four acting categories. The show's run at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway was extended four times due to high demand.
Also the recipient of two Grammy Awards and an Emmy(R) Award, McDonald was named one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people of 2015. Aside from her Tony-winning performances in "Carousel," "Master Class," "Ragtime," "A Raisin in the Sun," "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" and "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill," McDonald has appeared on Broadway in "The Secret Garden," "Marie Christine" (Tony nomination), "Henry IV" and "110 in the Shade" (Tony nomination). McDonald returns to Broadway this year in "Shuffle Along."
The Juilliard-trained soprano's opera credits include "La Voix Humaine" and "Send" at the Houston Grand Opera and "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" at the Los Angeles Opera. McDonald also maintains a major career as a concert artist, regularly appearing on the great stages of the world and with leading international orchestras.
McDonald's most recent TV appearances include playing the Mother Abbess in "The Sound of Music Live!" and Dr. Naomi Bennett on "Private Practice." Her other TV credits include "The Good Wife," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years," "The Bedford Diaries," "Kidnapped" and the 1999 remake of "Annie."
She won an Emmy(R) Award for hosting PBS's "Live From Lincoln Center" in 2015, having previously been nominated for "A Raisin in the Sun" and HBO's "Wit."
McDonald has appeared in such feature films as "Seven Servants," "The Object of My Affection," "Cradle Will Rock," "It Runs in the Family," "The Best Thief in the World," "She Got Problems," "Rampart" and, most recently, "Ricki and the Flash."
LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL is directed by Lonny Price, who also directed the Broadway production, and produced by Allen Newman and Two Hands Entertainment. It was originally produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Jessica Genick and Will Trice.
· SHOWATCH (series past and present)
· DEVWATCH (series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH (tv movies and mini-series)
[05/27/25 - 02:00 PM] Paramount+'s Hit Spy Thriller "The Agency: Central Intelligence" Kicks Off Production on Season Two Season two of the hit spy thriller stars two-time Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender, Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston, Harriet Sansom Harris, John Magaro, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Andrew Brooke, India Fowler, Reza Brojerdi, Alex Reznik and Richard Gere.
[05/27/25 - 01:30 PM] Hulu Has Pride: LGBTQ+ Premieres Streaming in June The celebration includes the return of the U.K.'s first-ever gay dating show "I Kissed a Boy," the continued adventures of the GLAAD Award-nominated "The Bravest Knight," a front row seat to some of the nation's biggest Pride parades and much more.
[05/27/25 - 12:01 PM] Netflix Top 10 Week of May 19: "Sirens" Makes a Splash with No. 1 Debut The limited series starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, and Kevin Bacon debuted in the No. 1 spot in English TV this week, claiming 16.7 million views in just four days and arriving in the Top 10 in all countries.