Billie Holiday 'jazz fantasy' comes to the Unity

Writer, director, performer, poet and jazz singer Cheryl Martin is bringing her Billie Holiday-inspired show Who Wants to Live Forever? to the Unity this month as part of a UK tour.The hour-long, one-woman show will come to Liverpool on May 24.Described as "a jazz fantasy about loss, love and hope, set among the stars", Who Wants To Live Forever? asks why some stars shine more brightly than others, and why people love to watch them falling - all channelled through the music of the artist known as Lady Day.Washington DC-born Cheryl explains: “My father had a really good jazz collection, lots of be-bop, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. Billie was my main influence, and I talk about singing along when I used to share a bunk bed with my little sister.“In the show, I wonder why people are so fascinated by falling stars, both human and the real thing. I talk about how stars are formed and why I love to go camping and look at the stars.“I also talk about my family, about my little brother and how he died. They told me a white guy was shooting into cars with black people in them.”Martin’s brother was hit, finally passing away 20 years later at the age of 39.She adds: “Like my other show Alaska, Who Wants to Live Forever? ended up being about my own life because I didn’t know how to digest what happened any other way. Most people in society don’t talk about these things either, and people don’t know how to talk to you. The show is also very funny though. The truth of life is that nobody cries all the time.”Who Wants to Live Forever? is directed by the brilliant Manchester-based dancer and choreographer Darren Pritchard, with lighting and set design by Andrew Crofts and dramaturgy by Sonia Hughes.For more info and tickets, get to the Unity's website.