I saw it last week. Really enjoyed it. I didn't know a lot about Nina Simone's life but have listened to her music over the years.
The evening flew by (It ran 2 hours and 15 minutes with intermission) Ms. Michelle does a wonderful job of bringing Simone to life. She is working overtime on that stage. The evening I saw it she had the audience in the palm of her hand. Judging from reactions throughout, the audience knew the life of Simone. I think this show could work in a slightly bigger theater but the intimacy of the theater it is in works very well.
The band is outstanding and the set is beautiful. A standout for me was when she sang "Ooh Child" in Act II. It made me pray she records this so I can play her version over and over.
I think the show is great for fans of Simone and for those who are only familiar with her. It officially opened last night. Just a note, there was a slip in the Playbill that an alternate will play Simone at certain performances. I was told it would probably be the matinees.
I read her autobiography, I Put A Spell On You, but I only know a few of her songs. Does Laiona play the piano during the show? How would you describe the tone of it? An uplifting celebration of her music? An empathetic run through the hardships in her life? A concert with a bit of contextualizing?
VintageSnarker said: "I read her autobiography, I Put A Spell On You, but I only know a few of her songs. Does Laiona play the piano during the show? How would you describe the tone of it? An uplifting celebration of her music? An empathetic run through the hardships in her life? A concert with a bit of contextualizing?"
Yes, she does play the piano. I won't give away what she plays.
The show is set at two concert venues. She performs and then gives us an insight into her life, sometimes changing her voice to represent someone she is talking about. It is a celebration of her music and a look into what made her the person she became. It definitely has its dramatic and sad moments as humorous ones. But is ultimately uplifting. She also isn't the only actor in the show. I won't give that away either. But she is onstage pretty much the entire time. Her band is also incorporated a bit in the book scenes. Also, her costumes are beautiful.
uncageg said: "Just a note, there was a slip in the Playbill that an alternate will play Simone at certain performances. I was told it would probably be the matinees."
Does anyone have any way of checking this out, since there's no official announcement by New World Stages of which performances the alternate will be covering? I'm looking at grabbing Thursday matinee tickets in early May, which is the only slot still available on my trip, but I would only do it to see Laiona Michelle.