Black is the Color of My Voice

As a fan of Nina Simone I was very much looking forward to this production and I was not disappointed. This is a one woman piece lasting one hour and fifteen minutes. The writer has stated that she wanted to tell the story of the woman behind the music, while giving further appreciation to Nina Simone’s voice and sound. Her aim is certainly achieved. The decision to give the character the pseudonym Mena Bordeaux to enable her to use her own voice in its most authentic and powerful state is a great one.

A simple but effective set depicts a room where the character is visiting for three days in order to have time alone and reminisce with her deceased father. She talks and sings to a photograph which she places on a table in the room.

Although delivering her dialogue out to us via the 4th wall we are in no doubt that her father is the real audience. Her love for him is pivotal and throughout the piece she refers to happy times growing up and the positive influence he had on her, particularly when encouraging her with her music. Bach feeds her passion for the piano at the age of 3 and she talks about her dream to be the first black concert pianist. However gospel music will prove to be her biggest influence.

Nicholle Cherrie delivers an exceptional performance. As well as being an extremely talented actress her voice is outstanding. And making the iconic songs her own in a seamless manner is no easy task. She has a beautiful stage presence with generous, open body language. This is a very physical performance and she uses every aspect of the staging. One (of many) lovely moments is her jumping onto the bed and acting out her mother reprimanding her for listening to (and beginning to write) what she would call ‘Devil’s music’. This is followed by a fantastic rendition of the captivating ‘Put a spell on you’. Simone’s music is interjected throughout the show to the audiences delight and the range of the vocals is outstanding.

The piece is full of factual events and many dark subjects are covered. They are delivered sympathetically but also with the outspoken attitude and fight that Nina is renowned for. Racism is a theme which runs throughout with stories of hatred and historic events in Alabama. Stories of black audience members being asked to leave venue’s even though the performer was a woman of colour was a regular occurrence. The first time she witnessed this was her own parents being removed during one of her performances. This ultimately leads to her becoming the voice of the civil rights movement and writing the anthem ‘Young, gifted and black’ as well as many other iconic songs. Another dark subject is the domestic violence and other abuse she uncovers when talking about her ex husband Arthur. Stage lighting changes during these darker moments to great effect and the bright coloured clothing worn by the actress and the blankets on the bed fade instantly taking us to a different place in her mind.

The clever lighting is also used in the softer, happier scenes. A brighter, warm colour comes over the stage when letters are opened and read from a former lover. Again these are delivered with humour and love and the audience are treated to another example of the versatility of this wonderful actress. The only time she talks in the present is when there is a phone ringing in another area of the hotel. She shouts out repeatedly for someone to answer it as she is obviously extremely annoyed at having had her quiet time reminiscing disturbed. The feisty Nina coming out.

This show ends beautifully with a speech telling us that she had not spoken to her father for 14 months following an argument prior to his death. We do not learn what brought about the argument making it even more intriguing. The guilt she obviously feels is what has led her to take this trip. This is a raw, emotional and extremely believable scene. It is followed by an extraordinary performance of ‘Feeling Good’ finishing the piece. The introduction of strings filled us with excitement knowing what was to come. And what a treat it was.

I feel extremely lucky to have seen this beautiful piece of theatre. A wonderful and fresh piece of writing, exquisitely executed. I didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, it was the last night of the current tour or I would have been trying to beg, steal or borrow a ticket to come back and watch it all over again.

Kirstie Lilleystone