It feels slightly odd to be penning a critique of a performance presented as a concert staging of a new (and still work-in-progress) musical, offered as pay-what-you-feel in the gloriously ramshackle surroundings of Slung Low’s big, beautiful Warehouse. So perhaps, given the topic of the show, think of this instead as an endorsement.
Shirley Chisholm was the first black female member of the United States Congress, back in 1968, and the first black candidate for a presidential nomination from a major party. Despite an underfunded campaign, she made waves in the Democratic party in the early 1970s, and it would be decades before either a person of colour or a woman would come that close to presidential power again.
As a concert staging, directed by Alex Chisholm (no relation), the storytelling here is only sketched out in between sung numbers, and as such it’s sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly how we get from moment to moment. But writer Zodwa Nyoni has a track record of weaving between art forms skilfully, and the progression of these fantastic songs tells its own story.
Backed by a seven-piece band under the assured musical direction of Michael Lovelock, these provide a toe-tapping range of (mostly) era-appropriate styles, drawing on funk, soul and some jazzier influences. The showpiece number is "Chisholm for President", whose repeated refrain, "I’m running for president", is stirring and pulsatingly rhythmical. It also, characteristically for the show, weaves in verbatim text from Chisholm’s own speeches brilliantly.
There are songs lamenting the corruption and inertia of Washington DC ("Same Old Song and Dance"), and moral quandary songs exploring the tension between principled stands and ‘good’ politics ("The Right Thing to Do"). At times, Chisholm’s upbringing (she was born in the US but spent formative years in Barbados) is referenced, with Bajan Creole and traditional melodies infusing the songs.
Throughout, the arrangements are varied while evoking a coherent era—though, as implied above, there are one or two noteworthy exceptions where the show expands its stylistic range. In these, Chisholm gets the opportunity to duet with other key women from US political history, and the music steps beyond the ’70s. There’s always a risk of clumsiness when introducing such direct parallels, but I felt the lyrics stepped lightly enough, bringing in recognisable reference points but steering clear of labouring the point.
Chisholm is played by Madeline Appiah with real power and grit, and enough of a nod to the real Chisholm’s distinctive vocal characteristics to indicate her character without it becoming a caricature. Justina Aina is also wonderful as Carolyn Smith, an aide whose solo moment, a song in which she calls home to her mother from the campaign trail, was a low-key highlight for me.
Some of the most intricate and intriguing melodic pieces come from Chisholm’s interactions with the aforementioned historical figures: Appiah’s duets with Rachel Modest as Michelle Obama, and with Milly Blue as Victoria Woodhull and, later, Hillary Clinton. (Woodhull was the first ever woman to declare her candidacy for president, in 1872 on an Equal Rights ticket.) These branch out in terms of musical style and include finely interwoven lyrical lines, giving nods to famous slogans as well as notorious statements (the "basket of deplorables"). Modest and Blue are both also stunning vocal performers with incredible range and control.
Testament’s lyrical prowess is on show here and throughout, though there is less of a hip-hop / rap influence than you might expect, given that this is how he made his name. At times when these forms emerge, there are perhaps shadows of that other American political musical—the behemoth that is Hamilton. On the whole though, this show treads different ground, working to a much more soulful beat.
Despite her remarkable story, Chisholm is a relatively unknown figure in the UK—though I had, coincidentally, recently caught up on the (also highly recommended) 2020 miniseries Mrs America, which features Chisholm prominently. The recent fifty-year anniversary of her run for the presidency has doubtless inspired this boom in interest (there’s also a just-released Netflix biopic).
This hot-off-the-presses musical looks, from what was on evidence at the Warehouse, like being a contagiously tuneful addition to the collection of Chisholm stories, and an uplifting night out for audiences young and old, no matter your engagement in US politics.