Nina, A story about Me and Nina Simone – Unity Theatre, Liverpool

Nina, A story about Me and Nina Simone was reviewed at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Following its opening at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre in 2016, Nina, A story about Me and Nina Simone toured Sweden before returning to the UK for a run at the Young Vic. It returned to the Unity at the close of a nine-venue UK tour.

Originally this piece, devised and performed by Josette Bushell-Mingo and directed by Dritero Kaspari, weaves together two biographical threads – those of Nina Simone and of Bushell-Mingo herself. Two years down the line the separation between these stories has all but vanished, and it’s only on the few occasions when she verbally reminds us that she is not Nina Simone that we’re aware of the premise. It almost feels as though she has become Nina.

The opening monologue clearly sets the tone of the piece, which is fuelled by anger. Nina begins to sing ‘Revolution’ and then stops the musicians in their tracks. She can’t sing about revolution because there hasn’t been one or, if there has, we’ve revolved full circle, because black people are still the target of bigotry, violence, police intimidation and murder.

Rather than having a narrative, this play with songs tells a host of stories highlighting prejudice and Nina’s passionate fight against it. Quite early on she states very clearly that, whilst we may say that many other groups are similarly targeted, this is not about them – tonight she wantx to talk about black people very specifically.

The main body of the show is very much this story, illustrated and elevated by the inclusion of songs that speak to aspects of it, including ‘Revolution’, ‘O Come, Come Emmanuel’, ‘Little Girl Blue’ and ‘Mississippi Goddam’.

Finally, Bushell-Mingo returns to the stage after a short musical interlude, dressed to give a concert, this time saying that she is Nina’s understudy. Now the songs come one upon another, finally bringing the show to an end with ‘I wish I knew how it would feel to be free’.

Bushell-Mingo has incredible stage presence and delivers the material with immense power, and she also has a tremendously charismatic singing voice. She is accompanied throughout by a three-piece ensemble of bass, drums and keyboard, led by musical director Shapor Bastansiar.

Since its initial performance the intensity of this show has distilled into something even more confident and assured, and what is particularly noticeable is the ramping up of the anger that hits the audience in great waves.

This is not a comfortable show to watch – it’s not meant to be – but it manages to stay just the right side of a line that avoids antagonising its viewers. It takes us to places we’d not normally voluntarily go and genuinely makes us think.

Nina, A story about Me and Nina Simone has lost none of its energy despite extensive touring over a lengthy period. Far from it, it actually seems to have matured with age, and has hopefully moved a lot of minds and hearts along the way.

Nigel Smith