She was a force; her unique singing style was a bright glimmer over her dark personal life. Billie Holiday – Lady Day – may not have realized how profound her musical influences are (her Grammy recognitions were all posthumous). Her music and her life story are celebrated in Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill presented by MusicalFare at Shea’s Smith Theatre to February 15.

Alexandra McArthur is a stunning Lady Day. Her voice – singing and speaking – capture the nuances of Holiday’s style, with the rise and fall of her inflections, the gentle growl that melts into sweetness, the exquisite expressions punctuating the many moods of the lyrics. McArthur’s interpretations were gorgeous. Holiday’s signature songs – “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit” – were indeed the standouts, but oh the rest of the score was pure magic in the hands of her trio with George Caldwell on the piano, Mike Moser on guitar, and Sabu Adeyola on string bass.

Other than a few lines from Caldwell (and a four-legged walk-on by Peppy the dog), this is McArthur’s show. She carries a 90-minute monologue with a sweeping range of emotions and a set list that would slay in any club. Lanie Robertson may have written the script, but it’s McArthur’s evocative storytelling that gives it life. She looks across the set (well done by Chris Cavanagh) and into the house (set cabaret style for an authentic jazz club feel) and tosses her lines to the bartender and the audience with such authority, you instinctively follow her gaze. When she arches an eyebrow, you share her anger. When she shares a personal aside about her life (raped as a young girl, working in brothels, arrested, in love with the wrong man for the worst reasons), you feel it in your heart. Then a song spills her lips…and your swept away with her.

Director Thembi Duncan had pure gold to work with here, and the sisters Drozd (Kari for Zoot suits and shimmery satin costumes and Susan for hair and makeup) created the look that tied the words and music together perfectly.

Her story may be grim but the music is sublime and in this cast’s good hands, Lady Day’s legacy lives.

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is presented in one 90-minute act (no intermission) in the cozy and intimate Shea’s Smith Theatre to February 15. Snatch up tickets quickly at http://www.sheas.org.