REVIEW: Why The Broadway Revival of 'For Colored Girls' Deserves One Last Encore
Fortitude. Survival. Catharsis. Rebirth.
The late playwright and poet Ntozake Shange explored many powerful themes in her beloved 1975 groundbreaking choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf. There’s no doubt that this work has touched generations of audiences via its many incarnations such as campus and off-Broadway productions and TV and film adaptations.
This April, the play returned to Broadway's Booth Theatre — after nearly 44 years — for a limited run. Amid tremendous buzz from critics and theatergoers alike, this production has racked up multiple nominations for theatrical awards and made history this season as the most Tony-nominated play on Broadway. I’m here to tell you that you should believe the hype.
While the 95-minute revival has received numerous accolades, this has not translated into box office success. The show was initially scheduled to run from April 20 to Aug. 14, 2022. In response to disappointing ticket sales, producers changed the end date to May 22. Fortunately, with the help of a number of patrons and supporters sending out the word through various social media channels, the show has now been extended to June 5 by popular demand.
For anyone new to Shange’s choreopoem, which spotlights the joy and pain of Black women, it’s important not to dwell on the word “suicide” in the title. Instead, dwell on the word “rainbow.” Shange was inspired after seeing a rainbow in the sky during a rough patch in her life. It was symbolic of “the power and beauty of ourselves,” she explained in a 1976 New York Times article.
The Broadway revival offers a fresh take on Shange's magnum opus for modern audiences. It’s all thanks to the artistic vision of Tony-nominated director and choreographer Camille A. Brown (who also choreographed the 2019 Public Theater revival of for colored girls), as well as a dynamic ensemble of theater vets and Broadway newbies. It’s still fully transcendent live theater that weaves together song, dance, soliloquies, and memories. The poems are still jarring, and yet still jubilant. Mainly because this trailblazing revival has found a way to uniquely sprinkle an extra dose of Black Girl Magic on Shange’s transformational words.
The inclusive cast is comprised of seven individual powerhouses including Alexandria Wailes (lady in purple), who is hearing impaired, and up until last week the play’s Tony nominated-featured actress Kenita Miller (lady in red) performed during her third trimester before going on maternity leave and passing the torch to newcomer Rachel Christopher. The other cast members are Amara Granderson (lady in orange), Tendayi Kuumba (lady in brown), Okwui Okpokwasili (lady in green), Stacey Sargeant (lady in blue), and D. Woods (lady in yellow.) Wailes and Okpokwasili are reprising their roles; they were in the cast of the Public Theater’s recent production.
Full disclosure, Amara Granderson is indeed my niece, and this production marks her Broadway debut as lady in orange. The role was first portrayed by Shange on Broadway herself. Regardless of my proud auntie badge, I can confidently say that whether my niece was in the play or not, I would have still gone to support the show. And after seeing it three times (and counting), I can honestly say it is a force to be reckoned with and one you would not soon forget.
Let me tell you why.
Brown’s production moves seamlessly, creating an atmosphere of womanhood, sisterhood and neighborhood with strategic lighting design, thoughtfully curated music, and choreographic sequences that transport you to a space and time. Nothing on stage is gratuitous. The beauty of American Sign Language is not lost on the audience as each lady uses her hands as another means of mellifluous expression, and it’s especially beautiful to behold when it’s incorporated in dance. And just about every dance move is a nod to Black culture and the diaspora: stepping, voguing, cheers, double-dutch, salsa, African dance, among others.
The beauty of Shange’s work is that you’ll immediately recognize yourself in the shadow of a maternal figure, a sister, a cousin, or a friend in each visceral poem. With a blend of laughs and lamentations, each performer brings her A game to allow you to experience the words throughout your body – from your mind to your heart to your hands and to your feet. Don’t miss out on the chance to see the play before it closes on June 5. You will feel all the feels, and believe me, that’s worth every penny.
For colored girls is playing through June 5 at the Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th Street, NYC. Tickets start at $69 (before fees) and are available at telecharge.com, or call 212-947-8844, or visit the theatre’s box office. WTGP/Black Theater Online Weekly currently has a promotion for orchestra seats. Save up to 35% off regular ticket prices with code FCGRL22.
Audience: Recommended for 13 + (Strong language). Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.
