Buffalo Theater: MusicalFare takes cabaret approach to Smith

The Play: “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill”

Where: Shea’s Smith Theatre, 658 Main St., Buffalo

Performance dates: Jan 30 – Feb 15, 2026; Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 3pm & 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Playwright: Book by Lanie Robertson

Director: Thembi Duncan

Actress: Alexandra McArthur as Billie Holiday

Production Credits: Music Director George Caldwell; Set, Lighting and Sound Designer Chris Cavanagh; Costume Designer Kari Drozd; Hair and Makeup Designer Susan Drozd.

What makes this play special and why did you decide to do it? Audiences get to witness one of Billie Holiday’s final performances in this tour-de-force evening starring JazzBuffalo’s Female Vocalist of the Year, Alex McArthur. Taking place in the late 1950s, only four months before Holiday’s untimely death, the show gives a poignant and visionary look at the woman behind the music. Featuring Music Direction by Grammy-Award Winner George Caldwell, the production was previously mounted at MusicalFare’s previous home in Amherst and was a smash hit.

What sets this production of the play apart from others that have been done? Lady Day is MusicalFare’s inaugural production at Shea’s Smith Theatre after having recently moved to being a resident theater at Shea’s 710 Theatre. MusicalFare will occasionally produce smaller shows at the Smith that require a more intimate setting than the 710 stage.

Is there anything else the audience should know? Seating for this production is in a cabaret-style, meaning audiences sit at tables in the theater as opposed to rows of chairs. Since the show is set in a nightclub, this seating arrangement allows for patrons to feel like they’re truly at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.

Show website: https://musicalfare.com/event/event:01-30-2026-12-00am-lady-day-at-emersons-bar-and-grill.

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