A Helpless Rage

Nina Simone: Four Women – Northlight Theatre

When we first meet Nina Simone, she’s clothed in a smart sequined dress and singing her famous rendition of Gershwin’s, “I Loves You Porgy,” probably at a northern nightclub. Suddenly a deafening explosion shakes the theatre and plunges the room into darkness. When we next see the talented singer, she’s all in black. The dust is still settling as Ms. Simone enters through the charred doors of the demolished sanctuary of what was once the beautiful 16th Street Baptist Church, in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s September 15, 1963, following the horrendous bombing that maimed several of the church’s congregation and killed four innocent young black girls. Filled with a helpless rage, Nina Simone tries to find the words to express her nearly uncontrollable anger through her music.

Throughout the 100, uninterrupted minutes of Christina Ham’s powerful one-act play with music, Nina paces around the rubble, scribbling notes and ideas for a new protest song. Three other African American women enter the church, one by one. First we meet Sarah, a devout, matronly member of this congregation, often called “Auntie” by other characters. She works hard to make ends meet, keeping house for two white families. She regards Nina Simone, as some rich, unknown stranger who doesn’t belong in this sacred place.

Then Sephronia, a light-skinned black school teacher, comes into the church, and he immediately recognizes the famed singer. At this point, we hear how hard Ms. Simone has worked for the Civil Rights movement, as well as her childhood background and the sacrifices she experienced in order to become a classically trained musician. Balanced against these three women’s varied histories, Nina Simone proves that she’s not just an entertainer, but a fighter who uses her magnificent voice to help achieve her goal.

At this point, an attractive, younger black woman storms into the sanctuary, dressed in cheap finery. She goes by the name of Sweet Thing, and makes her living by selling her body. After brooding on the sidelines for a while, Sweet Thing lets it all go. Her story packs a wallop, informing the other women what it’s like being a social outcast. The girl threatens Sephronia and we learn that the two share a sordid history with the same man. But Sweet Thing makes it clear that she, and those like her, will do anything it takes to survive in this world. 

Nina Simone was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. But for decades the gifted artist and Civil Rights activist was overlooked. Christina Ham wrote this play to bring Nina Simone to our attention. It’s a play about the songstress and the prodigy who bared her soul through her music. Ms. Simone knew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as Malcolm X. She had an abusive marriage and plenty of sadness; but the playwright prefers to ignore most of the singer’s personal life, wishing, instead, to focus on Ms. Simone’s role in the Civil Rights movement, at this particular time. She eschewed creating another jukebox musical; instead the writer penned a play that explodes with emotion. It’s laced with dozens of songs attributed to the great singer. They include “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” “Sinnerman,” “Brown Baby,” “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” and, her cry of rebellion, “Mississippi Goddam.”

Skillfully guided and dynamically paced, Kenneth L Roberson has directed this production with power and dignity. He’s assisted by Daniel Riley with musical direction and accompaniment, as well as Darius Smith, for his piano and vocal arrangements. Lindsay Jones has provided a sound design that echos with the great church’s majesty. And Michael Alan Stein uses period colors and textures to costume his actors beautifully and appropriately. This sad chapter of African American history sings out loudly with pain, sorrow and a need to be heard. Staged against Christopher Rhoton’s gorgeous, finely-detailed, ravaged scenic design, dominated by a shattered stained glass window, the cast is magnificent.

A Chicago treasure, Sydney Charles’ portrayal of Nina Simone is spot-on. She has the voice, the speech pattern, the appearance and the style of the great singer. Her raw emotion fills the stage, emoted in songs like “Old Jim Crow” and the titular, “Four Women,” that closes the show. Deanna Reed-Foster is tough, but lovably sweet as Sarah; Ariel Richardson brings a refined sophistication to her role of Sephronia; and the always wonderful Melanie Brazill rages against the light and makes us cared deeply, as Sweet Thing. Together these ladies gorgeously harmonize, painting a stunning, memorable portrait of the sorrow, anger and hope that African American women have felt, and still feel, through centuries of oppression.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas    

Presented January 24-March 3 by Northlight Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 847-673-6300 or by going to www.northlight.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.