Type – Musical Show, Feminine Power
If you liked – The Sapphires, Soulful Tunes
Ursula Yovich Sings Nina Simone: Fabulous singing and a hot band, but the dialogue between songs falls flat.
As if the dazzling harbour views from Sydney’s Wharf Theatre didn’t generate enough pre-show excitement, the audience was abuzz when it filed into the Wharf Theatre to find a New York club set conjuring the spirit of the great African-American singer and pianist Nina Simone: cabaret seating up front, a working bar, walls decked with performance photos, and soft, yellow light falling across the room.
Aboriginal-Australian actor and singer Ursula Lovich walked from the audience into the spotlight to perform with a hot four-piece band – led by musical director Adam Ventoura on bass – a selection of songs from Simone’s repertoire. They ranged from the ballad-style classics ‘Ne me quitte pas’ and ‘Porgy and Bess’, to the sombre, percussive tunes ‘Sinner Man’ and ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, and then upbeat anthems from the 1960s, ‘Hair – I Got Life’ and ‘To Be Young Gifted and Black’. Lovich has the range and power to move through all these genres but was most successful when the band got the chance to swing.
Lovich has made her name performing in rock musicals including The Sapphires and Barbara and the Camp Dogs, She has a big voice but is a nuanced singer also, able to move easily from growling bass to soft, sweet top notes. Given Simone’s reputation as “the high priestess of soul” and one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, it takes an accomplished artist such as Yovich to step up to perform the songs that Simone made her own.
This wasn’t solely a tribute show, though. Lovich very much brought her own story to the performance in the dialogue scenes between the songs, where she connected Simone’s activism in the civil rights movement of America in the 1960s to the current and historical struggle of Aboriginal-Australians against racism. She also went beyond race to talk more generally about the struggle for truth at a difficult time in world politics, and urged listeners to take up their own activism through everyday acts of kindness and truth seeking.
These dialogue scenes weakened the show for me, as they seemed to be long rambles rather than anything more substantial or crafted. It would have been far more engaging to hear a bit more about the life of Nina Simone in the dialogue, rather than the vague references made to the troubles she encountered in her journey. But others clearly felt differently; the audience were very much fans of Lovich and wanted more of everything she had to offer – “I can feel the love, thank you” – she said at one point after having to stop to get a glass of water for a tricky throat.
With it being a brief show – just over one hour, being part of the Sydney Festival – there was no encore. Lovich and the band left the audience cheering for more.
Is Ursula Yovich Sings Nina Simone Worth Seeing in Sydney?
Nina Simone fans will love this show but those new to her music may find the dialogue between the songs a bit too rambling, which weakens the overall great dynamic.
Tickets and Practical Info for Ursula Yovich Sings Nina Simone in Sydney 🎟️
VENUE: Sydney Theatre Company, Wharf 1 Theatre
DATES: 21 to 25 January 2026
Tickets: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/events/ursula-yovich
One Response