In Ntozake Shange's powerful mid-'70s "choreo-poem," a group of African-Americans dramatizes the struggles and journey toward self respect experienced by black women in America.
Brown's staging is so attuned to the words and cadences of Shange's choreopoem, yet so confident in its own interpretive vision, that the characters blossom into their full vibrancy. If you've never thought of 'For Colored Girls' as a funny show, be prepared for Brown's seven splendid performers to persuade you otherwise. They will also pierce your heart, because this production does not shy from the emotional and existential lows that coexist with the play's highs.
Yes, but Shange's 90-minute collection of poems performed by seven women, each in a designated color (Shange undoubtedly means the pun) returns the adjective to its high-wattage definition. Director-choreographer Camille A. Brown's production stuns the daylights out of you.
1976 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
1976 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1976 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
1979 | West End |
London Production West End |
1980 | Regional (US) |
Regional Revival Regional (US) |
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
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