Feeling Good - Black is the Color of My Voice
- Heidi Barber.
- Oct 11
- 2 min read
Feeling Good - Black is the Color of my Voice, written and directed by Apphia Campbell, performed by Florence Odumosu, at the Macready Theatre, Rugby on Friday 10 October 2025.
Review by Heidi Barber.
From first note to final silence, Black Is the Color of My Voice is an intimate, powerful evocation of the life behind the legend of Nina Simone.
Nina (Florence Odumosu) was the sixth of eight children born into a respected family in North Carolina at a time when tensions between blacks and whites ran high. At just 3-years-old, Nina or Eunice as she was then called, displayed a real talent for playing the piano. She soon developed a love of classical music, particularly Bach and became determined to become a concert pianist. Unable to achieve this dream due to racial prejudice at the time, she became involved with what her mother regarded as ‘the devil's music’.
This one woman show revolves around Nina’s intense relationship with her father and Florence’s performance is magnetic throughout. Whether recounting her childhood ambition as a pianist, the oppressive expectations of a devout church upbringing, the terrors of segregation, or the ache of personal loss, she holds the stage. Her singing is not imitation but interpretation — honouring Simone but not trying to be Simone. This gives the emotional moments a sincerity that feels earned.
The songs are the spine of the show. Hits like Feeling Good, I Loves You Porgy, Mississippi Goddamn, I Put A Spell On You etc. punctuate the narrative at just the right places. The live performance of musical numbers brings an element of realism to the play.
The staging is sparse but effective: a room, a suitcase, objects; the set lets the performer’s presence, the light, and the voice dominate. The show tackles race, identity, parenthood, mental health, activism and loss. It does not shy away from the darker parts of Simone’s life including estrangement and domestic abuse.
Black Is the Color of My Voice is a stirring, emotionally rich piece of theatre that honours the complexity of Nina Simone — her brilliance, her flaws, the fire and the grief. It is not a glossy tribute; it is more raw; more honest; and as such, it challenges as much as it charms. It reminds us that legendary voices are born of struggle, longing and life experiences.
For more shows at Macready please go to: https://macreadytheatre.co.uk/
For more information about the tour of Black is the Color of My Voice, go to: https://www.bitcomv.com/
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