An Intimate Performance at the Mercury Theater
We enter the Venus Cabaret Theater within the Mercury and are greeted by blue and purple mood lighting and candle lit tables. The bar menu is on the back of the program and the room slowly fills. Champagne buckets sit at tables awaiting their guests. The bartender is mixing up classics like Aviations, Old Fashioneds, and Billie’s favorite drink, The Stinger.
Only three instruments surround the stage— a piano, a drum kit, and a bass. It feels like we’re part of a select few to be treated to this intimate performance, heightening the mood and making it feel like we’re waiting for the real Billie Holiday to come on stage.
Then, the door to the club bursts open and there she is. Wearing a large, white fur coat, oversized sunglasses, and accompanied by a man and a dog, it’s the Lady Day herself. She also brings with her the air of a star and takes the stage resplendent in a white gown and sparkling jewels.
