Reviewer: Kristine Gotham
Pit and Balcony Theater captivated audiences with two sold out performances of Ntozake Shange’s play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When The Rainbow is Enough. In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, nine women took the stage and performed what Shange referred to as a “choreopoem”, a production that combined storytelling, chants, music and dance, to illustrate the life and times of Black women in America.
Each woman represents a different color of the rainbow, while a seventh is the color brown, representing all women of color. The cast fully embraced their individual role in the production, while weaving together their stories into a whole that celebrates women in all their strength and their frailties. Using their bodies in dance, their voices to express themselves, and their facial expressions to translate what emotions are bubbling inside, these women presented to the audience an experience that is both uniquely private and completely universal.
Costume Designer, Vanessa Brooks-Herd’s choice of costumes kept the audience focused on the drama and not distracted by the costumes. She kept the costumes basic with each woman wearing black top and bottom, then she gave them a unique identity by wrapping them in scarves and fabrics from the African continent. The women flowed together, weaving in and out of each other’s story, while maintaining their individual identity.
The set was simplicity at its finest. A backdrop of a tree, its roots spread out with the colors of the rainbow feeding them. A picture of how everything grows together but the beginnings are different, the nourishment comes from different places.
Life is full of joy and hardship, grace and vulgarity, love and hate all at once, but it is also full of people. People who have similar experiences, shared histories, and the ability to provide understanding and wisdom if we open ourselves up to receive it.
Congratulations to Pit and Balcony Theatre for an outstanding performance. Congratulations to Director Danyelle Hillman, for her vision in bringing this production to life. Congratulations and Thank You to the actresses, who opened themselves up to portray women of strength, frailty, and courage (Imani Clark, Jayda Davis, Yolandie Hamilton, Kamaya Haris, Renee Henry, Hudson Holm, Melony Lamar, Shatarea Simms, Ekia Thomas).
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