Review: Black Is The Colour Of My Voice (Bristol Old Vic / UK Tour)

Review by Seth Wilby

⭐⭐⭐

Few 20th-century singers had the legacy or life of Nina Simone. Having been a child prodigy, oppressed musician, and vocal leader in the Civil Rights Movement, her biography seems like a clear choice to dramatise. And that is what Black is the Colour of My Voice attempts to do (to an extent). However, would this play leave me feeling good, or would it be more sinnerman than saint?

Having premiered in 2013, Black is the Colour of My Voice has only grown since then, including numerous tours across the UK, performances in the West End, and fringe festival appearances internationally. Written, performed and directed by Apphia Campbell, the story is ‘inspired by’ the life of Nina Simone and features renditions of many of her songs. The play follows a different jazz singer recounting her life story, from picking up the piano at the age of three to becoming a key voice in the Civil Rights movement, relaying troubling details of abusive relationships and underlying racism in a poignant tribute of hope and hardship.

Probably the most interesting choice in this relatively simple production is the decision to have Campbell perform not as Simone herself, but as ‘Mena Bordeaux’, a thinly veiled alias easily mistaken for nothing more than an avoidance of copyright claims. Some thought does expose Campbell's deeper motive for this- by removing the restrictions of impersonation, she can perform more authentically, offering more of a tribute to Simone’s spirit and legacy than a direct retrospective. 

Although this choice does offer slightly more powerful messaging, it also creates a fair amount of confusion in the audience, since a quick glimpse at any biography of Simone herself shows that no effort has been put into differentiating plotlines, even down to precise details. Surely the gains made by committing to the real figure (which would shape the show more as a tribute, thus providing more interest and reason for emotional investment in the story, as well as clarifying minor points, including the exact setting and time) would massively outweigh anything lost in Campbell’s performance.

It’s clear from just her triple threat of roles that this production is Campbell’s brainchild, with the direction and writing both perfectly tailored to exemplify one vision. Bordeaux is painted as a grieving, tired woman, whose music is the only thing rehabilitating a spirit eroded by decades of discrimination and pain. This is embodied by every element of Campbell’s performance, slowly wandering across the stage and creating long, meaningful pauses. She seamlessly drops back in time through anecdotes triggered by the discovery of certain objects, recreating those feelings of fear, sorrow, and tragedy not like she’s witnessing them first-hand, but like someone who’s forced to relive them and has grown exhausted by their reoccurrence.

Campbell’s writing feels purposeful, and the final scenes (dealing with the Civil Rights movement) manage to be notably stirring, with some smart use of speeches by Martin Luther King Jr and John F Kennedy, although there are moments building up to any actual plot where the nearly ninety-minute runtime starts to drag. The direction uses the small, fringe-scale set well, feeling surprisingly full on the main stage of the Bristol Old Vic, with brilliantly striking lighting design by Clancy Flynn and impressively strong sound design by Joseph Degnan perfectly bringing some scenes to life.

Some of the most unique moments in this one-woman show come from the use of music. As more of a ‘play-with-music’ than a direct musical, songs from the forefront of Simone’s catalogue are used to quell the emotion between key moments, subtly linking into key themes that have been discussed in the preceding scenes, with the use of ‘Feeling Good’ creating a touchingly upbeat final moment. Loyally replicating Simone’s distinctive vocals, Campbell displays a powerful and rich voice, with layers of tenderness and depth that dominate the stage, although it’s admittedly not strong enough to create standout moments on its own.

However, despite the congruency in vision between Campbell’s writing, direction, and performance, their collaboration is somewhat disappointing. Perhaps the show has grown tired of itself over time, or maybe it's due to the decision to paint Bordeaux herself as tired, but, ultimately, something about the show is lacking. Such a long monologue is tricky to get right, and this unfortunately just feels dull far too often. Instead of finding myself captivated, I found my mind wandering, and a failure to hold your audience's attention can make a production struggle, triggering a domino effect of disappointment.

One clear display of this is in the opening scene, which suffered from a lack of energy. Such a slow start means there is no hook or reason for the audience to become invested at all, starting the show on a back foot it struggles to recover from. Campbell’s writing also suffers from this at times, seeming to believe that, for a show to be moving, it must stay serious. This myth has been debunked by many of the most powerful shows, which use comedy to get the audience on side early on, yet Campbell’s writing is monotonous and, even when we’re dealing with the less serious elements of her early life, forgets to be entertaining.

As a show grows, it’s important that it stays feeling fresh, which this disappointingly does not. There is a lack of emotional connection between Bordeaux and the audience for a multitude of reasons, extending far beyond the larger space. The monologue is framed as our character talking to her late father, instead of to the audience in front of her, with Campbell often addressing a framed portrait to the side of the stage as opposed to the audience. This creates the feeling that we are just viewers, and not part of this piece of theatre, which could easily have chosen instead to build a community-like atmosphere.

While it's fair to say that I didn’t enjoy Black is the Colour of My Voice as much as I had hoped, it still provides clear evidence of Apphia Campbell’s talent, and the stronger moments mean that an ideal audience (such as fans of Simone’s music, or those desiring something slower and simpler) could get behind it. However, it creates far more questions than it answers and left me wondering what the purpose of it all was. Its tiredness and refusal to directly tribute Simone mean it doesn’t educate, entertain, or emote as it could; it just exists.

Black Is The Colour Of My Voice plays at Bristol Old Vic until 18th July, and continues touring the UK until October. Dates and tickets at https://www.bitcomv.com/

Photos by Geraint Lewis