Singer Mena Bordeux falls into a depression after the death of her father. She seeks the help of a witch doctor who advises her to isolate herself from the outside world in a locked room for three days in order to find the inner peace and "closure" she needs to recover. She is not allowed any human contact, alcohol or cigarettes. The only thing to keep her company is a tin of carnation milk.

This is the beginning of Black is the Color of My Voice, a play written and performed by the Shanghai-based actress and singer Apphia Campbell and directed by Arran R. Hawkins.

The play is inspired by the life of the legendary singer Nina Simone and features music in the style of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Simone herself.

Actress Apphia Campbell Photo: Courtesy of Play the Spotlight

Finding herself

Campbell plays various characters throughout Mena's journey. This is a one-and-a-half hour, one-woman play, featuring classic Simone hits such as "Feeling Food" and "I Put a Spell on You." "Through the different characters, Mena tries to relive her past and to find herself," said Campbell.

It will be the first time for Campbell, who is a full-time singer, to perform a single-hander play. She made her acting debut in Blue Lane's production of No Exit and this will be her third play in Shanghai.

"My friend in college, back in the US, introduced me to Nina Simone's music and I fell in love with it straight away," Campbell told the Global Times.

"I've wanted to do this play for such a long time but I felt that I didn't have enough life experience to do it," she said. "So three years ago I came to Shanghai to discover myself and find that 'life experience' I was looking for, and finally around six months ago, I started writing the play."

Crucial moment

The personal life of Simone plays a pivotal role in the play. "I read so much about Simone to learn about her life. She was such a big character. She was an iconic American jazz singer, pianist and songwriter," said Campbell. "She had a big fight with her father just before he died and it was a crucial moment in her life, a turning point for her."

After staging the play in Shanghai, Campbell will be taking Black is the Color of My Voice to New York in the summer.

"Although the subject of the play is quite dark and there are definitely some dark moments in it, I tried to keep it light," she said.

The title of the play is play on words on one of Simone's songs "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair."

The play is the first production of a new theater company, Play the Spotlight, formed by Campbell and Rami Abunameh.

Date: May 23 to 26, May 30 to June 2, 8 pm

Venue: Anken Green

安垦绿色仓库

Address: 668 Huai'an Road

淮安路668号

Tickets: 150 yuan (pre-sale), 180 yuan (at the door)

Call 182-0183-7723 or e-mail playthespotlighttheatre@gmail.com for reservations and further details