Black is the Colour of My Voice/Soul Sessions – Trafalgar Studios

Black is the Colour of My Voice/Soul Sessions continues at the Trafalgar Studios, London until 2 March 2019.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ 

Apphia Campbell’s love song to the incomparable Nina Simone is immediately inviting, and full of passion.

We meet our diva in the intimacy of a shabby bedsit, cigarette in hand and stories to tell. Her father, recently departed, watches on from a photo frame – ever present at Simone’s side, and a suitcase of memories stalwart at the foot of her bed.

We are led through a mind palace of bittersweet milestones in Simone’s journey, from the three-year-old Nina’s first notes on the piano to the abuse at the hands of manager and husband Andrew Stroud.

The boldness with which Campbell takes ownership of the subject matter is exceptional, she grasps the dark and the light with fearlessness and maturity – taking her time to really connect with us in the calm closeness of Trafalgar Studio 2.

The relevance of the subject matter is, of course, still wildly relevant. Campbell channels the anger of a generation still dealing with the same injustices in evolving forms, and Arran Hawkins/Nate Jacobs’ direction encourages her outrage with the gravitas it deserves, and achieves a comic brightness from Campbell’s performance during the earlier scenes.

The book, however, is a little scattered. Anecdotes from a life, by nature, never fit a narrative well – the skill is to draw out the threads that connect, but here, the binding connection of Simone’s father serves more as a framing device and as such lacks depth.

Likewise, the meta-narrative of the present day also remains unclear – and without stake. It feels as though we are being led through a set of vignettes which, though individually might be valuable, as a whole begin to feel somewhat arbitrary.

Simone, after all, was a woman of extremes – talent, temperament, lifestyle, creativity, passion – and with such raw source material we yearn to earn those extremes more keenly as the show progresses. Instead, the book catches itself up in its own exposition and could leave more room for the origin behind all of those fascinating idiosyncrasies.

Campbell has a truly exquisite instrument and sings with freedom, beauty, range and passion. This is a delight during our Act II soul sessions. Her authentic self is more than enough to command the room and lead us, dancing, into her world, shedding her facades and celebrating all that she is with an honesty and vulnerability that moves even the most crankiest members of the audience.

In tribute to any other diva, this might be enough. But Nina Simone is not defined by an effortless voice and a velvet charm – she’s angular, proudly provocative, mercurial towards her audience. It is the human struggle within the sound, both mechanic and spiritual, that earns her place in our hearts.

Of course, it is not for Campbell to imitate or mimic, and she rightly doesn’t, but it feels often as though the scales are tipped too far in favour of a beautiful sound, rather than the humanity and bewitching ugliness of the repertoire as Simone created it. It’s a tall order but Campbell demonstrates in the rawest of moments that it could be there for the taking.

For any fans of Simone, this is a hugely enjoyable evening, and there’s a lot to be garnered from Campbell’s show. With a little evolution, it has all the elements of a much richer experience.

Aura Simon