Theatre in the X presents Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When The Rainbow Is Enuf

Director Cheyenne Barboza blends diverse production elements into a satisfying whole. The cast infuse their performances with equal parts play and gravitas: M. Anastasia Robinson (Purple), Courney Lyneé (Blue), Sabrina Winford (Yellow), Rahnda Rize (Red), CaSandra Key (Orange), Francine Emefa Tamakloe (Green), and LaNeshe Miller-White (Brown) all have moments in a cohesive rainbow ensemble which literally breathes as one.

This ensemble of movement actors creates layers of emotion, and as the opening-night show progressed, the audience increasingly showed their appreciation. Tamakloe’s full-body rolls and head whips are intoxicating. Lyneé’s second-act choreopoems authentically convey the survivor experience. Rize has so much dialogue, she might need to slow down to avoid stumbles. But her final monologue holds the room. Miller-White’s tangible stage presence drew an mmmm from the audience during her choreopoem. There were so many yeses throughout the production, I thought I was in church. Each segment ended in resounding applause, concluding in a standing ovation on opening night during the African-dance finale.

Elevating production elements

Taylor Mitchell’s organic choreography combines with Barboza’s nuanced direction to bring multiple levels to the stage, with seamless pacing throughout. The shift from joy to pain and from dancing to sorrow feels clean and unforced. While individual characters monologue, the cast gently undulates or stands stock-still in the background.

Innovative sound designer Adiah Hicks brings insightful audio touches like a Buick revving, metal jewelry shifting, or silent whispers, alongside music direction by LaTasha “Elle” Morris. Adaptive contemporary costumes by Tiffany Bacon include veils and slumber-party caftans. Intriguing lights by Pamela Hobson elevate the performance, including the lady in red monologuing for the lady in green, against a green background with a yellow spotlight showcasing her silhouette.

Insightful and relevant

Shange’s insightful structure (with suggestions from her original production team) uses warmth to welcome the audience in before shifting to trauma and ending with cathartic release. She packs so many cunning turns of phrases into her text (like “give my crotch some sunlight” to mock manspreaders). Her realistic commentary on gender issues and power abuse remains applicable today, with cutting phrases like “women relinquish all personal rights,” “colored girls have no right to sorrow,” and “we got to dance to keep from crying, We got to dance to keep from lying.”

My mother kept a copy of the earlier For Colored Girls imprints in her library. But after reading The Bluest Eye and The Color Purple, I feared experiencing more generational trauma in print form. Even after I met Shange (1948-2018) at a graduate-school reading (she was lovely, if a smidge tired from overeager students), I continued my avoidance. But after witnessing this production, I clearly see I shortchanged myself. I understand how this work won a 1977 Obie, why it received numerous Tony nominations in 1977 and 2022, and why Tyler Perry adapted it to film in 2010.

Speaking to all survivors

This remarkable production had less than two months of rehearsal time, and the opening-night show took place in the rain location (the Iron Gate Theatre at 37th & Chestnut), where the cast, designers, and crew had not rehearsed previously. Given all that, it was an amazingly smooth performance, despite minor audio glitches and an over-effusive welcome address from co-artistic director Carlo Campbell. This is one of the best Philly-area productions I have seen this year. And it’s free to attend (BYO chair for park performances). The Friday, August 21 show starts at 7pm and the August 22 and 23 shows start at 5pm.

While it’s “colored girls” in the title, this text speaks to all survivors of abuse, regardless of gender or race. In Shange’s words, “Being alive … is a metaphysical dilemma.”

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