for colored girls Shines On Stripped-Down Stage

Megan Matthew's staging of Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf possesses a cohesion one would not expect when poetry makes the leap onto the stage. The production capitalizes on the narrative and emotional force of the poems, providing insight into issues that black and Hispanic women face: abortion, battery, rape and racial tension as well as love and hope.

The different narratives of the poems become the stories of seven women, each in a different colored dress. They remain nameless to emphasize the universality of their experience, yet each has a personal story to share.

Pared down staging complements the intimate nature of the piece. Lack of props creates a separate and isolated space for the expression of their most painful and beautiful experiences, as well as their concerns. The emptiness of the stage also focuses the attention entirely on the actresses.

All seven women live up to the attention drawn to them by the staging and atmosphere. Andrea Oliver '97 shines, especially in her role as a battered wife trying to deal with the violence in "A Nite with Beau Willie Brown."

Rachel Skiffer '96, with her energy, makes the pain and anger of Shange's poetry tangible Through her candid recollection of first love in "Toussaint," Valencia Thomas '96 demonstrates both her sense of humor and relaxed enjoyment of her part.

Light designer Hilary Snow '97 further concentrates the gaze of the audience onto the women through the effective use of lighting. Often, the sheer intensity of the spotlight creates a starkness, in sharp contrast to the outpouring of emotion on stage, which draws the audience in inexorably.

The soundtrack, designed by Jen Smith '96, gives the poems a strong sense of unity. Her use of a recurring African rhythm dramatizes the problem of the black or Hispanic women in finding an individual voice in a white, male-dominated world. That rhythm becomes a leitmotif for empowerment and self-expression.

Ultimately, the intimacy of the Loeb Ex space makes for colored girls attractive and successful. The production retains the closeness of a poetry reading but contains the power of an Ibsen tragedy. The quality of this production gives hope for a similar production of other poetry-cycles such as Rita Dove's Thomas and Beulah. With Matthews fine production of for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf as precedent, it would be a pity if nothing else was attempted in the same vein.