ED2015 2/5 Reviews ED2015 Theatre Reviews

Black Is The Color Of My Voice (Play The Spotlight Theatre)

By Lucy Diver | Published on Monday 31 August 2015

Music is described as a ‘quiet storm’ in this production, but the show itself is more of a loud drizzle. This one-woman show has Mena Bordeaux (a stand-in for Nina Simone) on a three day detox, reminiscing and looking back over her life choices, addressing her thoughts to ‘Daddy’, whose ghost she hopes to see. The script is rambling and clichéd, even if it is an informative and interesting insight into Simone’s life. The acting is fair to middling, but the highlight of the show is Apphia Campbell’s rendition of the songs: particularly ‘I Put A Spell On You’ and ‘Feeling Good’. Super-fans of Nina Simone may indeed be put under a spell, but others may only be slightly charmed.

Gilded Balloon, until 31 Aug.
tw rating 2/5 | [Lucy Diver]