Chisholm for President!, Southbank Centre Review

Madeline Appiah. Photo by Derrmot Daly. 

Reviewed by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic.

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

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Shirley Chisholm was a key figure in American politics; the first black woman to be elected into Congress, as well as standing up for those facing injustices. However, her story seems to be less known here in the UK. Chisholm for President follows Shirley as she enters the 1972 presidential campaign; despite an underfunded campaign, and not actually winning, she fought it out to the end leaving behind a strong legacy in politics – or ‘poli-tricks’ as she referred to it. Chisholm for President explores the difficulties of being a black woman aiming for the most coveted role in existence, corruption in Washington DC, and instilling hope into young American women who may very well one day be the President of the United States.

Chisholm for President is a concert production, with song being our primary storytelling function. This worked nicely, and I didn’t find myself lost not knowing how we had got from one moment to the next. The story progresses well, with the music complementing the story wonderfully. There were moments when Shirley meets other important women from American political history… Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to ever declare her intention to run for the presidency, Hilary Clinton and Michelle Obama. Women who have all been scrutinised in a male-dominated world of politics. These moments were particularly powerful, my favourite moments of the show.

My main issue was the sound quality; I don’t know if it was due to the acoustics in Purcell Hall, but I found myself struggling at times. The seven piece orchestra are brilliant, however, I found the cast’s voices to be drowned out a lot of the time. Given that this is a concert production, that was a major downside for me. At times I couldn’t hear what was being sung, however, what I could hear was actually brilliant. The music is jazz and funk inspired, very of the era, with some rap influences slotted in. The cast all have impressively strong voices, and I just wish I had a better experience with the sound! Not the cast’s fault of course.

The cast of Chisholm for President are all very talented, and very versatile. Madeline Appiah’s performance as Shirley is very strong, and she gives it her absolute all. Justina Aina plays Carolyn, a political aid, who has her own solo moment when she calls her mother while on the campaign trail in another powerful move. The ensemble plays different roles, switching seamlessly between roles.

The show is accompanied by a series of drawings projected onto the wall behind the orchestra. These range from scenes in a political setting to scenes in Barbados, where Shirley spent some of her childhood, to portraits of the women mentioned above. This was really helpful in painting a visual picture, given this was a stripped back production. I truly loved this.

Chisholm for President overall is a really promising production, which I sincerely hope I see on a bigger stage in all of its musical glory sometime soon. I just wish the sound had of been better. This production is such a brilliant skeleton for something much bigger.

★ ★ ★ .5