[Theatre and Physical Theatre/Music ~ AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE ~ International]

Ngunyawayiti Theatre at Tandanya , Tue 28 Feb, 2023.

Apphia Campbell has been touring this self-penned piece globally since 2013, but this is her first visit to the Adelaide Fringe. In Black is the Color of My Voice she assumes the character of a young black woman whose life parallels that of the acclaimed jazz singer Nina Simone, so the performance is effectively played out in the first person.

The title of the show is wonderfully apt: the marginalisation of black peoples in America is front and centre; Simone’s musical talent becomes the voice of the black protest movement, and that deliciously resonant vocal style could only come from a black soul.

Using props from a suitcase to trigger memories good and bad, the woman works her way through significant events in her life while talking to the spirit of her dead father. Songs from Nina Simone, expertly sung by Campbell herself, are used to link the narrative and convey the emotional impact of these events on her life, and this works really well.

It’s a commanding performance laden with emotional conviction. Her reaction to the death of Martin Luther King was especially poignant. We learn how she and so many other black Americans felt lost after his assassination: “I lost my identity” she wails.

Several famous songs function are featured (I Put a Spell On You, Feeling Good, Mississippi Goddam) and manage to convey that smoky sliding vocal style that added mood and texture to Simone’s songs. It must be said that despite its bleak moments there are times during this performance that are quite joyous.

A fascinating tale of a young woman destined to be a classical pianist who was seduced by ‘the devil’s music’. A must for Nina Simone fans and anyone who appreciates quality theatre delivered with conviction.