Lights of Broadway: For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Synopsis: In this celebration of the power of Black womanhood, seven women share their stories and find strength in each other’s humor and passion through a fusion of poetry, dance, music, and song that explodes off the stage and resonates with all.
Review:
Four decades ago “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf”, a groundbreaking piece of theater, left the Booth theater. Now I’m 2022 it has now found itself returned to its previous home in an all new revival of Ntozake Shange’s play. A choreopoem mixing black culture, poetry, and choreography together, For Colored Girls tells the story of 7 different women living the experience of being as black woman in America. The women of the play aren’t named, instead being dressed in a singular color; Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple.
The choreography and direction created by Camille A. Brown both compliment and enhance the word created by Ntozake Shange. The cast utilized the movement to great effect, allowing for emotional moments to hit harder due to the dance and accented sounds accompanying. Pieces that stood out specifically would be the Lady in Red’s (played by Kenita R. Miller) "a nite with beau willie brown,” retelling the traumatic end of her relationship and family, and the Lady in Blue’s piece (played by Stacey Sargeant) “Abortion Cycle #1” which featured the Lady in Brown (played by Tendayi Kuumba) adding the movement and sounds to enhance the piece.
The costuming by Sarafina Bush works to the pieces advantage with each of the women being outfitted on modern interpretations to the original concepts of costumes. The scenic design by Myung Hee Cho is simplistic and works to not over complicate the show, allowing for the actresses to have full room to pour their hearts and souls into their scenes.
Overall, For Colored Girls was 90 minutes of laughter and sorrow, of love and heartbreak, of joy and healing. The play is one that discusses broad and deep themes of trauma, allowing the audience and the characters to heal through the art of music and dance. For Colored Girls for me rates a 4/5.
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