'Little Girl Blue' to open off Broadway at New World Stages

The musical about Nina Simone is written and performed by Laiona Michelle.

Don't be blue — there's a new Off-Broadway musical in town. Little Girl Blue, a show about the life of singer/songwriter Nina Simone, is set to premiere at New World Stages on March 5 ahead of an opening night on March 14. The show will run for a limited engagement through May 22.

Laiona Michelle, who has appeared in Broadway shows like The Book of Mormon and Amazing Grace, has written the musical, and she also stars as Nina Simone. She is joined on stage by Kenn Salters, Saadi Zain, and pianist Mark Fifer, who is also the music director and arranger for Little Girl Blue. Devanand Janki directs.

The rest of the creative team includes set designer Shoko Kambura, costume designer Ari Fulton, lighting designer Dawn Chiang, sound designer Twi McCallum, and wig designer Earon Nealey.

Michelle and the rest of the cast and creative team first performed Little Girl Blue at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse in 2019. They also did an outdoor production of the show with Connecticut's Goodspeed Opera House in summer 2021 before coming off Broadway.

The Little Girl Blue musical takes its title from Simone's first album. Simone is known for blending musical styles including classical, jazz, gospel, and pop, as well as for her activism to further the Civil Rights Movement.

Check back for information on Little Girl Blue tickets on New York Theatre Guide.