When Tony Award-winning singer-stylist Melba Moore makes her Bermuda Festival debut at City Hall tomorrow evening it will to a packed house ? as will be the case on Saturday evening. Fans familiar with the American musical icon?s career can expect to be well rewarded for their box office enthusiasm as Miss Moore presents her autobiographical, one-act play entitled ?Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul?.

Thirty-five years ago Miss Moore became the first African American to win a Tony for Best Supporting Actress in the original production of ?Purlie?.

Her current play chronicles the intervening years, with reflections of youth and growing pains portrayed in a heady mix of gospel, jazz and Broadway songs.

The narrative begins with her early days growing up in rural Alabama, profiles her life as a teenager; the beginning of her career as a back-up singer; her Broadway successes; TV and recording contracts; a bad marriage, and the resurrection of her career after a period of misfortune.

Today, Ms Moore still retains the escalating strength of a remarkable, four-octave range which singled her out from the very beginning of her career. What shines through her art is a clarity of purpose and personal warmth.

A deeply spiritual woman, Ms Moore is an ardent advocate for children?s rights, and is the founder of the Melba Moore Foundation for Abused and Neglected Children.

As her one-woman show reveals, her life is her work and vice versa. ?Sweet Songs of the Soul? is not a nostalgic journey, but rather an honest look at life lived to the full, and a continuing series of achievements based on the singer?s talents, will and drive.

Performances begin at 8 p.m. each night, and those without tickets should check with the Bermuda Festival box office adjacent to the ferry terminal on Front Street between noon, or at City Hall before each performance for returns. The Festival box office telephone number during opening hours is: 296-5774.