Foluké Cultural Arts Center presents the heart tugging ‘For Colored Girls’
Three risers, seven women and a series of monologues add up to 90 minutes of the most intense drama imaginable. The Foluké Cultural Arts Center presents Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.
Each of the women is dressed in an identical yet different colored dress that represent the various parts of the rainbow. They are: The Lady In Brown (Cristal Christian), The Lady In Green (Evette France, The Lady In Purple (Jeannine Gaskin), The Lady In Red (Maya T. Jones), The Lady In Blue (Sabrina McPhearson), The Lady In Orange (Tamicka Scruggs) and The Lady In Yellow (Siara Renee Willis). The play is phenomenally directed by Dale Ricardo Shields.
The work consists of dance, song, prerecorded music, poetry, comedy, drama and superbly delivered monologues that reveal the plight of every black girl and woman in their journey to self expression, empowerment and freedom. Over the course of the show you will find each and every one of your emotions tapped to its extreme. One moment you are laughing loudly and the next you find tears coursing down your cheeks. It is a play that was far ahead of its time in 1976 that can still change the world and move mountains.
The production crew consists of Tamicka Scruggs as Dance Captain, Lawrence White as Stage Manager, Michael Summers as House Manager, Tanya Gonzalez as Production Assistant and Dava Cansler Producer.
This is really an excellent rendition of this searing play and should not be missed. While a wild ride of emotion it is also a cautionary tale of the plight of women around the world with the overall theme being that through it all there is hope and love. Each of the actors blend seamlessly with each other as they tell tales of growing up female and black in modern society. Each of the actors is a standout in their roles leaving nothing on stage when done. If you are looking for a prime example of an intimate black box theater experience then this is the show you really need to see.
The show will be on stage for just two more performances of tonight, Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 3 p.m. and is performed at the Tommy LiPuma Creative Arts Center in the Belkin Black Box Theater located at 2809 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. For information and tickets go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-the-rainbow-is-enuf-tickets-54825082297.
To get to the theater go to 30th and Woodland Avenue and enter the Parking Lot 5 Entrance. Walk to the elevator between Lots 5 and 6 and take the elevator to the First Floor. Exit the elevator and walk through the doors to the pavement and turn left. Turn left at the pavement intersection and enter the Rock Hall Library/Tommy LiPuma Theater entrance. Walk to the central hall and turn right.