Ensemble Theatre’s ‘Simply Simone’ celebrates a legend
Even after her death at age 70 almost 15 years ago, Nina Simone continues to be music royalty.
Her powerful and dramatic life as a singer, songwriter, pianist and activist is being brought to the stage with The Ensemble Theatre’s “Simply Simone,” which runs through July 30.
It tells the story of Simone at different stages in her life through four female charaters — Nina 1 (ages 11-16), played by Samantha West; Nina 2 (ages 20-30, the diva period), played by Lekeisha Randle; Nina 3 (ages 30-40, the activist period), played by Teacake Ferguson; and Nina 4 (ages 40 until her death), played by Rita Hughes.
The musical, which was written by Robert Neblett and David Grapes with musical direction by Chika Ma’Atunde and director and choreographer Patdro Harris, features some definitive Simone classics, such as “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “I Loves You Porgy.”
To prepare for her role, Ferguson said she watched every YouTube video she could find of Simone being interviewed and checked out library books about her life.
“We started preparing for the play a year ago,” Ferguson said. “I didn’t know very much about her beforehand. I knew some of her music, of course, and some of the music I knew from other artists who have remade her songs. I learned so much about her life and talent.”
One of those artists is Jay-Z, who used the title “Young, Gifted and Black” for a song about the fate of those gifted children. He rapped: “Hear all the screams from the ghetto all the teens ducking metal.”
Randle, as well, said by studying for her role in the musical, she discovered things she didn’t know about Simone, who suffered from mental illness.
“A lot of people think that she was the crazy bipolar woman. Aside from the music and touring, she was a classical pianist, and that’s what she wanted to be known most for,” Randle said.
“Many people see Nina as this dark personality, but she was funny. She was a sexual being. She loved men. She loved love. She was like an Aunt Nina. I wanted to be at her feet, just listen to her.”