France – "Nina" by Fanny & Alexander at the Festival d’Automne in Paris
The Autumn Festival in Paris – one of the major European festivals dedicated to contemporary creation – is once again the prestigious international stage of Nina by Fanny & Alexander theatre company, a homage to the singer, pianist, and civil-rights activist Nina Simone.
The performance, conceived by Luigi De Angelis, also director and curator of the light design, is based on the dramaturgy by Chiara Lagani, who also designed the costumes. The award-winning American soprano Claron McFadden plays Nina, or better, she "inhabits the voice" of Nina Simone, thanks to a technique Fanny & Alexander has termed “eterodirezione” (heterodirection) – the transmission of an audio track via earphones worn on stage by the actor.
«When Luigi told me about this project, I thought: ‘This is the time for me to really get to know Nina Simone, to dive into her world» McFadden explains. «I think what makes this show really special is that we don't memorize a script, and we don’t try to give an interpretation. We let Nina speak through me».
«I think that Nina and Claron share some similarities, above all that of opening the heart channel while singing» says De Angelis. «Claron, like Nina, is not afraid to convey emotions through singing: she has incredible technique, all the same she manages to move, to touch inside».
Starting from recordings of Nina Simone’s performances and radio-TV interviews, McFadden creates a versatile portrait of the legendary artist, showing the power of her character and creative spirit, the value of her battles and her most intimate fragilities.
The Autumn Festival, one of the co-producers of the show, had hosted Nina French premiere in the last edition and this year proposes it again with a long programming: ten performances from December 10 to 21 (at the Théâtre 14, different times).
A meeting with Fanny & Alexandre (December 14) and one with Claron McFadden (December 21) are also scheduled.
The show is presented in co-operation with the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris.