Black Theater Ensemble’s performance of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf is at times both strong and passionate, but mostly fails to rise above clunky predictability.
Many of the production’s failings can be traced to the weakness of the play’s structure. In For Colored Girls, seven different women, each dressed in a different color, take turns presenting tales of African-American womanhood. There is no character development, no plot and minimal progression?the play just consists of story after story.
The show does include powerful performances, as some actors use the play’s open format to their advantage. Raw storytelling skills are the key, and several cast members certainly have them. Candice Sanchez-McClaren’s (MSB ‘02) portrayal of a wannabe Puerto Rican is genuinely funny. She feels like a close friend telling a familiar story, knowing the listener will have the same enthusiasm as they did the first time she told it. Similarly, she handles a dream-like story of abortion with sharp control, balancing the rhythm of the lines and shifting easily between contrasting elements. But her expressions do occasionally feel cliched; during sequences involving the entire cast, she slips from a more defined voice into predictability.
As Lady in Red, DeAnna Lauriston, a Washington, D.C. native, gives an incredibly stirring performance as a woman whose children are murdered by their crazed father. The straightforward story comes alive in what is arguably the show’s high point. Unfortunately, her other portrayals are nowhere near as notable.
Christiane Roussell (CAS ‘03) gives an enthusiastic performance as the Lady in Yellow. Her portrayal of a ‘50s teenager’s night on the town bubbles over with energy; she fills the stage’s bare space with the car’s other occupants, giving real direction to the bare-bones script. However, beyond this sequence, her efforts are less moving.
Eni Tairu (CAS ‘04) designed the show’s straightforward costumes. Given the constraint that each cast member wear a specific color, she seems to have placed all the actors in clothing they find comfortable. It works well enough?they all assume a natural poise onstage, but at times it feels as though the clothing is more a reflection of the actors’ tastes or personalities than the characters’.
Lisa Rose Middleton’s direction feels weak throughout. During sequences involving the entire cast, the actors are spread far too thinly on the stage to bring any sense of balance. The single set element, three black walkways which arc up the stage to join at the top, is unattractive and unecessary. The set fails to make a definitive mark on the theater’s space, yet it cannot escape the audience’s notice.
For Colored Girls showcases a few excellent performances in a mediocre package. Black Theater Ensemble’s show has its high points, but they cannot save the production as a whole.
For Colored Girls is playing in Walsh Black Box Feb. 8-10 and 15-16. General admission is $8, $5 for students and seniors.
