Portrait of Ludmilla Dabo as Nina Simone

In French with English Subtitles

A mixture of spoken word, storytelling and jazz/soul,  A Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone is an uplifting but candid account of Simone’s life and legacy (Scottish Left Review)

French-language play “Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone" is a captivating performance halfway between tribute concert and theatrical performance where Senegalese-Cameroonian singer Ludmilla Dabo explores the life and music of legendary jazz icon Nina Simone. Blending powerful vocals, storytelling, and emotion, Ludmilla honors Simone’s legacy, capturing her activism, artistry, and soul in an unforgettable tribute to one of music's most influential figures. 

Ludmilla Dabo, accompanied by Molière Award-winning writer, director, and musician David Lescot, sings a moving, intimate, and dazzling portrait of Nina Simone, the iconic “High Priestess of Soul.” Through the legendary singer’s music and life story, intertwined with personal stories from Dabo’s own life, Dabo charts Simone’s journey from young musical prodigy to her role as a major figure in the civil rights movement. In this unique performance fusing jazz, soul, and storytelling, Dabo is “Nina Simone reincarnated… A talent that explodes,” according to Le Monde.

This is a performance in French with English supertitles.

David Lescot, playwright/director and musician is an artist associé with Théâtre de la Ville, Paris. Read more about David here

The Alliance Française of New Orleans is excited to welcome this production to New Orleans for one night only in partnership with Tulane University Theater & Dance Department.

25$ non members / 15$ AFNO members and Tulane faculty, staff, and students

Thanks to James Douglas Hislop for his generous support.

Sponsored by the Kathryn B. Gore Chair of French Studies and the Department of French & Italian at Tulane University.

With support from