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The Works: Yolunda Rabun is Nina Simone in new show.
Bringing a legend to life
Audiences interact with civil rights icon Nina Simone at Virginia Theatre Festival
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Yolanda Rabun plays Nina Simone in a one-woman show at UVA’s Culbreth Theatre through August 7. More information is available at virginiatheatrefestival.org.
By Julia Stumbaugh
arts@c-ville.com
Half an hour before taking the stage in No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone, actress and lawyer Yolanda Rabun sits in her dressing room listening to Bach.
The room is filled with the music Nina Simone’s grandfather played for her as a young girl, which later inspired the compositions on Rabun’s desk.
Even though she’s preparing to be the only person on stage at the Culbreth Theatre, Rabun is surrounded by her idol.
“I don’t think I feel tremendously the pressure of being by myself, because I’m not really by myself,” she says. “I have her with me. I have her memory. I have her energy. I have her spirit. I have all of my rehearsal. I have all of my learnings—what went wrong, what went right. I have all that with me, so I never feel alone on stage.”
Rabun portrays Simone in No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone, an interactive one-woman production exploring the life of one of the most prolific artists and civil rights activists in American history.
The show is part of the Virginia Theatre Festival, formerly the Heritage Theatre Festival, which is returning to the University of Virginia for the first time since 2019.
No Fear is the culmination of Rabun’s lifelong connection with Simone, an activist
YOLANDA RABUN
who wanted freedom—which she defined as “no fear, I mean really, no fear”—for Black people and women in America.
Rabun first heard Simone’s voice at 8 years old, when her mother played a recording of “Four Women.”
To an inexorable beat, Simone used her powerful voice to paint a vivid portrait of four Black women suffering from the lingering impact of slavery and segregation: “My skin is black / My arms are long / My hair is woolly / My back is strong / Strong enough to take the pain / Inflicted again and again.”
When the song ended, the child was left stunned.
“It freaked me out, because she started talking about these four women, and I could see them,” Rabun says. “And I was like, ‘Who is that? Who can sing like that? ... We can sing that low?’ And so I started building my contralto. The bottom of my voice is from that, listening to Nina Simone.”
In 2008, Rabun used her contralto to bring to life a vignette crafted by writer Howard Craft and director Kathryn Hunter- Williams for a Nina Simone exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.
Craft used his script to connect real events in Simone’s life—from her relationship with New York neighbor Malcolm X to her mournful tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.—with how she might have reacted to current events like the election of President Barack Obama.
“A lot of it, arguably, is speculation of what she would say,” Rabun says. “But I don’t think he got it wrong.”
Since 2008, the world has changed, and so has the play. Based on extensive study of Simone’s writing, career, and life, Craft expanded No Fear to connect Simone’s timeless songs with issues relevant to 2022 audiences.
“It’s a reflection on her experience, where she’s also giving us some tools on how to carry on,” Hunter-Williams says. “Howard has given us an imagining of what she might say to encourage us and strengthen our spines to fight the fights we are fighting.”
Simone’s music emboldens this message, just as it did during her lifetime. “Mississippi Goddam” was written in 1964 in response to the brutal murders of Black children like Emmett Till, but Rabun’s performance draws a visceral response from listeners today.
After performances, audience members share with Hunter-Williams how Simone’s fiery lyrics (“You told me to wash and clean my ears / and talk real fine just like a lady / and you’d stop calling me Sister Sadie / oh but this whole country is full of lies”) resonated with them.
“It’s the only reason we do this crazy art,” says Hunter-Williams. “Every play, every moment, everything I do, is finding a way to connect with the audience, to let them know how powerful theater is, and how it really can be a vehicle for change, and for reflection, and for inspiration. It is why we do what we do.”
Performing these politically powerful songs, which Simone later said damaged her career, is when Rabun feels closest to the artist she is embodying.
“That’s when I think Nina Simone started becoming more of the artist she wanted to be,” Rabun says. “She went into civil rights music because that’s a part of who she was. That was a part of her entire struggle, of facing the fact that her color was the barrier to the success that she wanted to achieve and was denied.”
Wednesday 8/3
music
Berto and Matt. Latin guitar night. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com Vincent Zorn. Performing live on the patio. Free, 6:30pm. Red Pump Kitchen, 401 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. redpumpkitchen.com Wavelength trio. A midweek music boost. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com
stage
No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone.
Featuring Yolanda Rabun in this one-woman show from the Virginia Theatre Festival. $15-50, 7:30pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.com
outside
Farmers in the Park. Local farmers with seasonal produce and meats, cut and potted flowers, baked goods, hot meals, value-added products, prepared food, and crafts. Free, 3pm. Farmers in the Park, 300 Meade Ave. charlottesville.gov Wind Down Wednesday. Acoustic music, food trucks, and a stunning Charlottesville sunset. $5, 6pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. chilesfamily orchards.com
etc.
Family Film Series: Cloak & Dagger.
Perennial favorites alongside modern classics. Free, 11am. Violet Crown Cinema, 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. violet crown.com Trivia in the Orchard. Hosted by Katalin Magyar, who tests your knowledge of history, pop culture, holidays past, and, of course, cider. Free, 6:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarle ciderworks.com
Thursday 8/4
music
Berto and Vincent. Wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com The Dude Ranch. A Blink-182 tribute band. $15-20, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com
stage
No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone.
See listing for Wednesday, August 3. $15-50, 7:30pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.com
words
Kerwin Claiborne—Theese Folks Crazy Comedy Special. The evening, hosted by Pedro Martinez, features comedy from Kerwin Claiborne and a live performance from Trina. $37-72, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
outside
Summer Celebration Series: First Thurs-
days. Featuring music from Midlife Crisis Band, drinks from Three Notch’d Brewing Company and Pippin Hill Vineyards, food trucks, and games. Free, 5pm. Boar’s Head Resort, 200 Ednam Dr. boarsheadresort.com Sunset Market. Explore local vendors’ fresh produce, grab dinner from a food truck, enjoy artisan goods, make art at the outdoor art room, relax with a craft cocktail in The Looking Glass, and more. Free, 4:30pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org
