The new Off-Broadway jukebox musical Little Girl Blue, inspired by life and music of Nina Simone, has received mixed reviews from New York critics. The show, fashioned around a set of concerts in Westbury, New York, during 1968 and Montreux, Switzerland, during 1976, premiered at George Street Playhouse in 2019 and was part of last year’s Goodspeed by the River series. The creative team includes Laiona Michelle (book), Devanand Janki (direction), Mark Fifer (music direction, arrangements), Shoko Kambara (sets), Ari Fulton (costumes), Dawn Chiang (lights), Twi McCallum (sound), and Earon Nealey (hair). Michelle stars as Simone, accompanied by musicians Fifer (piano), Kenneth Salters (drums), and Saadi Zain (bass). The show runs at New World Stages through May 22.
New York Theatre Guide (Ayanna Prescod): If you walked in without Simone’s complete story or with no sense of her undeniable personal struggles alongside her worldwide acclaim, you might walk out of the theatre believing she was simply an over-sexed woman, abused wife, and extremely difficult diva. What Little Girl Blue, named after Simone’s debut album, fails to do is celebrate a complex personality, a nuanced human being, and a proud Black woman who could not — and never wanted to — be put in a box. … What this show does get right is Michelle’s undeniable powerhouse voice. The music is there, and every time she opens her mouth, the melodies pour out glistening waterfalls. … If this had been a concert with little to no dialogue, it would have probably exceeded expectations. However, Little Girl Blue was just too little and too blue. 2 out of 5 stars.
Theater Mania (Pete Hempstead): No category quite defines Simone or her music. …That’s one aspect of Simone that Laiona Michelle emphasizes in her impressive if overambitious juke-box musical Little Girl Blue. … If any life lends itself to juke-box musical treatment, it’s Simone’s, but it’s a tall order for one person to pull off, and that turns out to be the case here. … Though Little Girl Blue feels crammed with more biography than it can comfortably contain, Michelle’s performance holds us. Her singing voice is brassier than Simone’s sultry contralto, and her re-creation of Simone’s onstage presence has an exaggerated awkwardness, but we always feel the spirit of the legendary performer emanating from the music. … Fittingly, the number “My Way” ends the show, a triumphant flourish for an artist who refused to be defined — Simone’s story in one song.
Theater Scene (Darryl Reilly): Nina Simone’s vocal talents, physical presence and spirit are all dazzlingly channeled by Laiona Michelle in her engaging self-written biographical concert-style musical Little Girl Blue. Ms. Michelle employs just enough of Simone’s cadences, facial expressions and physical gestures to create an authentic characterization while supremely singing over a dozen songs associated with the charismatic vocalist. The show’s well-researched spoken word portions deliver historical facts, biographical details and cultural commentary in the manner of Simone. … Little Girl Blue is a grand showcase for Laiona Michelle and a powerful affirmation of Nina Simone.