Apphia Campbell’s solo show inspired by the life of Nina Simone comes to London’s Trafalgar Studios for a four-week run with selected performances including a double bill of Black is the Color of My Voice and cabaret show Soul Sessions.
Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, Black is the Color of My Voice follows a successful jazz singer and civil rights activist seeking redemption after the untimely death of her father. She reflects on the journey that took her from a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church, to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.
On weekend evenings, Apphia will also perform Soul Sessions, her cabaret celebrating Simone’s brilliant music, after Black is the Color of My Voice with patrons able to purchase tickets for both as a double bill evening.
Apphia Campbell is originally from Florida and after graduating from college, she moved to New York where she performed Off-Broadway. In 2009, Apphia moved to Shanghai, China where she sang blues, jazz and pop in various venues and eventually formed Play The Spotlight Theatre Company, a theatre company that focuses on new works and musical pieces.
In 2013 she wrote Black Is The Color Of My Voice and opened in Shanghai to rave reviews before performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014 where it sold out and has been touring the UK; selling out in at St. James Theatre, Wilton’s Music Hall, and Oxford Playhouse. In 2017, her new show with Meredith Yarbrough, Woke, was presented as part of the Made In Scotland Showcase, won a Scotsman Fringe First, a Highly Commended award from Amnesty International, and was shortlisted for The Filipa Bragança Award and Scottish Art Club Theatre Award, returning for a sell-out second Edinburgh Fringe season and UK tour in 2018. Recent credits include The Last Bordello (Virtue/ David Leddy), Woke (Ambrosia/Assata Shakur, Caitlin Skinner), The Color Purple (Celie, James Harkness), and No Exit (Inez, Michael Beets).
