Nina Simone: Four Women at Berkshire Theatre Group

Nina Simone: Four Women imagines a conversation, often through music, between Simone and three African-American women. Set in the fragments of a shattered world, audiences will be in the Courtyard surrounded by the gritty and historic Mellon Barn outdoors at Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge. The production will be directed by Gerry McIntyre who choreographed last summers hit Godspell and will feature Tony and Grammy Award Nominee Valisia LeKae (Broadway: Motown The Musical, Book of Mormon, Ragtime) as Nina Simone. In the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, Nina Simone rocked the nation with Four Women, her tribute in song to the four young girls lost in the tragedy. Scholar and artist Thulani Davis called the song an instantly accessible analysis of the damning legacy of slavery, that made iconographic the real women we knew and would become.At a time when people are feeling the need to do something in our hurting world but dont know how to start, this production is an incredible reminder that you just need to take the first step. Or write the first note. Nina Simone: Four Women meditates on Nina Simones transition from a singer to an activist. It also deals with issues of colorism among black women that arent typically dealt with. The play will be performed outdoors, to add just another layer of purity and real-ness without limitations. I found from choreographing last summers show Godspell that performing outdoors is a priceless experience that can never be duplicated!