The Billie Holiday Story is a brilliant cocktail of songs and stories from Billie Holiday’s life woven through the haunting memories that plagued her, featuring her greatest hits: God Bless The Child, Lover Man, Strange Fruit, Don’t Explain, All of me and many more.
Nina Kristofferson said, “Billie’s unusual timbre tells a story like no other jazz singer. Her phrasing and timing is heartfelt as she takes you on a journey which encapsulates her many influences including prostitution, the cops, doing time and the effects drugs had on her life. Her relationship with men, her work, the abuse she suffered by those who took advantage of her. What drove her and finally killed her.”
Nina Kristofferson has won critical acclaim as an accomplished singer of many styles encompassing Jazz & Blues to Opera. Nina’s extensive theatre and TV credits include playing Billie Holiday in “I Cover the Waterfront – The Spirit of Billie Holiday” (Nottingham), Medea in “Medea” (Northern Broadsides UK tour), Bess in “Porgy & Bess” (USA), Cleopatra in “Anthony & Cleopatra” (Birmingham), Liz Imbrie “In High Society” (Regent’s Park & West End) and Paula Symons in “Doctors” for the BBC.
Director Ben Woolf is currently writer-practitioner at the Donmar Warehouse and was Associate Director for ‘Shrek the Musical’ (Theatre Royal Drury Lane). He has previously worked with Michael Grandage on Tom Stoppard’s translation of ‘Ivanov’ at the Donmar Warehouse, and with Paul Miller and Nicholas Hytner on the UK tour and West End transfer of ‘The History Boys’. In 2006, Ben won the Young Director’s award at Cannes Lion and Best Play at the Adelaide Fringe Festival for his immigration comedy, ‘Angry Young Man’. He is also Artistic Director for the award-winning MahWaff Theatre Company.
Allan Rogers (Pianist and MD) has enjoyed a long and varied career as a session musician and Musical Director, working with artists such as Cilla Black, Marti Caine, Cliff Richard, Petula Clark, and recently Music Associate for Elaine Paige and Russell Watson. Allan’s TV credits include Record Breakers, Generation Game, Stars in Their Eyes, and One Night with Rod Stewart. Theatre credits include ‘Time’ starring Cliff Richard (Dominion Theatre), ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (RSC, working with Bono and The Edge of U2 on the score), ‘Flamenka’ (Lyric Theatre) and ‘Liberace Live from Heaven’ (Leciester Square Theatre). Most recently, Allan has been MD on the Strictly Come Dancing Arena Tour at the O2 and Wembley Arena.