Writer/Director: Apphia Campbell
Taking inspiration from one of the greatest jazz singers in living memory, Black Is The Color Of My Voice follow’s Nina Simone’s reflections on her life, from child prodigy to civil rights activist. Alone in her apartment, conversing with her father’s memory, the audience gets an insight into the incredible career and heartbreaking story of an incredible woman.
Florence Odumosu takes centre stage in this one-woman show, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Taking the audience on a tour of Simone’s upbringing in the church, her early experiences of racism, her life choices, marriage, and her passion for equality and civil rights.
You can’t tell the story of a legendary jazz singer and piano prodigy without music; writer and director Apphia Cambell scatters Simone’s music throughout this work, using her songs to connect to and reflect on Simone’s place in the world throughout this biographical work. Odumosu flows between monologue and song as though music is second nature to her, which makes her connection to Ms. Simone feel more personal and pertinent.
The stage is simply set with a bed, two chairs, a desk, and a trunk representing Simone’s apartment, but the sparse setting works. The audience isn’t here to be wowed by special effects, but to listen to a story, and learn what it is to be young, gifted, and black in a time and place where that combination could be dangerous.
Odumosu is a wonderful storyteller and connects to Nina’s story with real passion. The writing is a little clunky and disjointed at times, possibly trying to reflect Simone’s changing thought process, but it is delivered with truth and feeling. Odumoso holds the audience captivated for 70 minutes, it’s a story that everyone needs to hear.
Tonight the Liverpool Everyman theatre was full to bursting, with many audience members having already seen the show at the Edinburgh Fringe or previously on tour. If you want to see this show, get your tickets now before it is too late.
Reviewed on 11 February 2022 – currently on a UK Tour
