For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf

This past Sunday I had the distinct opportunity to attend a showing of the play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf". The play is currently running in Atlanta at the 14th Street Playhouse. It's being produced by IKAM Productions (www.ikamproductions.com) and directed by Jasmine Guy. It's her directorial debut.

The play is awesome! For those of you who aren't familiar with it, "For Colored Girls...is a choreopoem written by Ntozake Shange. It's a combination of monologues and poems performed by 7 ladies that are dressed in the colors of the rainbow. The play started with the Lady in Orange (she is usually the Lady in Brown but Jasmine wanted to stay true to the rainbow) and then progressed through the Lady in Yellow, Lady in Blue, Lady in Purple, Lady in Red and Lady in Green. It was a beautiful display of sheer talent as the ladies recounted stories of different women at different ages in different cities. The play's purpose is to speak to the difficulties and happy times as experienced by the woman of color.

Some of the monologues were happy and reminiscent. Others were heart wrenching and painful, but all of them gave a wonderful snapshot into the lives of women of color. Although the play was written in 1974, it is still very applicable today. I heard my story in several of the monologues and I was brought to tears more than once. My favorite line in the play was "I found God in myself and I loved her fiercely". That line stuck with me and penetrated my soul.

If you ever get a chance to see this play, take it. Do not let it pass you by.

Until I saw the play, I never truly understood the title but now I do. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rain is Enuf. The Rainbow is indeed enuf...don't ever forget that