Simply Simone @ the Paul Robeson Theatre

The current Paul Robeson Theatre production, Simply Simone: The Music of Nina Simone, is, as the title suggests, an homage to the singer-activist and self-imposed exile. The good news is that the eager company of four (not five, as listed in the program), under the direction of Mary Craig, gamely and winningly navigates the show with no hint of hesitation or trepidation. The overall effect is exceedingly enjoyable and provides a clear and articulate rendering of the life and career of one of the later 20th century’s most notable recording artists.

OPENING SHOTS: The ladies of Simply Simone. Dominique Seals, who plays young Simone; Robeson artistic director Paulette HVarris; Simply Simone director Mary Craig; exiled Simone, Joyce Carolyn; singer Simone, Annette Christian; and activist Simone, Shawnell Tillery

The evening presents us with four aspects of Nina Simone: the child, the activist, the singer, and the exile. Joyce Carolyn, the most seasoned of the performers, expertly maneuvers through her musical numbers and expository sequences as Nina in exile, and unintentionally emerges as the leading lady of the ensemble piece. Her pitches are perfect and her interpretations are both affecting and insightful.

Close behind, Annette Christian brims with personality as Nina the singer, and provides several of the evening’s most appealing musical renderings.

Dominique Seals and Shawnell Tillery, as Nina the child and Nina the activist respectively, give earnest and charismatic performances. Seals scores particularly well on “Love Me or Leave Me.”

Other numbers in the line-up from Simone’s famously eclectic repertoire include “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl,” “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “I Loves You Porgy,” “I Put a Spell on You,” “Strange Fruit,” “The Look of Love,” and the unforgettable “Mississippi Goddam.”

Simone, who was revealed to suffer from bi-polar disorder after her 2003 death, lived a life of highly dramatic heights, falls, and turnarounds. There are clues that the road to opening night of Simply Simone might have had some backstage drama of its own; most significant of all, certain numbers are not sung at all, but spoken—not in Sprechstimme style, but actually spoken—and at other times there are voices winceably off-pitch. There is also French pronunciation that makes one flinch, suggesting that the dramaturgical concerns were placed elsewhere.

The evening, however, is a fine example of the triumph of live performance over technical obstacles, and one leaves feeling uplifted and entirely satisfied. The live band, under the music direction of Frazier Tom Smith, who also plays the keyboard, performs smartly. The crowd was especially enthusiastic over the percussive talents of Vanzella Joy Williams on the drums. David Butler’s set provides an attractive and open playing space which Craig and her company fill admirably.