Nina: A Tribute to Nina Simone

by A.D. Amorosi

Philly's Tiffany Bacon has been modern soul radio's best friend, instructing listeners of her Inner City show on Power 99 FM about the connections between music past and present. Before moving here, Bunmi Samuel apprenticed under director Tunde Samuel and worked with the National Black Theater in Harlem. United, at present, for Bacon's Headline Theater Co., the duo have written, produced and directed the lion's share of its company's projects -- topical works like Bitches Brew and The Revolution Will Not Be Plagiarized wound through with African history and social conscience. For Headline's newest show, Nina: A Tribute to Nina Simone, Bacon's 22-member troupe of vets and theatrical novices tackle, in my mind, the queen of conscious-soul in a musical that features scenes depicting, inspired by or including Simone's most memorable songs. "I love her stuff," says Bacon, noting that Simone deserves this kind of recognition for her musical contributions, both in terms of diverse musicality and lyrical force. "Her music's appeared as hip-hop samples, yes," says Bacon of how our culture's come to know the Nina Divine. "But these songs are poetry. I think interpretations of her work can and do work well on a stage. Some of the songs, like "Mississippi Goddamn,' already sound like they've appeared on a Broadway musical's soundtrack." With that in mind, Headline will rifle vocally through Simone's finest moments of positive affirmation ("To Be Young, Gifted and Black"), toughness ("Four Women"), tenderness ("I Loves You Porgy") and historical import ("See Line Woman") while dancers and actors run through the drama inherent within each poignant song. Like Headline's signature play, Plagiarized (set to appear during the Philly Fringe Fest in September), Nina promises strong medicine that goes down sweetly.

Nina: A Tribute to Nina Simone, Fri.-Sat., May 28-29, 8 p.m., $20 admission includes catered dinner, The NY Caf Theater, 501 Armstrong St., Germantown, 215-820-7469.

-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there