Cappie Review of "Lady Day" by Cassie Folsom, Hylton High School, Woodbridge, VA

The year is 1959; the year of jazz.  On the south side of Philadelphia, Emerson's Bar & Grill harbors the famous Billie "Lady Day" Holiday for one of her last and most emotionally ridden performances.

Lady Day was born Eleanora Fagan to Sadie Fagan and jazz guitarist Clarence Holiday and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland.  Her parents married when she was three, but soon divorced when her father left and she was left to be raised by her mother.  She was an angry and hardened child, and dropped out of school to do some dirty jobs with her mother.  She began singing in bars and clubs and was discovered by John Hammond in 1932.  So began her life filled drugs, divorces, and scandals as this diva broke the color barrier and became one of the best known jazz singers ever.

This small, but incredibly lively cast, brought pizzazz and emotion to this performance.  Lynn Sterling as the famous Lady Day was the very essence of the jazz singer.  Her smooth and melodic voice struck a high note on such songs as "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless the Child."  Her passionate performance kept the audience on the edge of their seats as she gave us a glimpse of the pain and suffering that Billie Holiday had felt, and yet she was still showed some sass and comedy.  The communication and chemistry between her and her pianist Jimmy Powers, as played by William Foster McDaniel, was heartfelt and beautiful.

The band brought the whole entire performance together.  Sterling's communication with the band was incredible, and made the jazz songs just even more enjoyable.  The small, quaint bar tables added to the performance and made the whole arena seem like it was the stage.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable performance and showed us what this gardenia-wearing vocalist was all about.