About Me

A Woman of Dignity & Grace

Thursday, March 5, 2009

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


This is a stage play by Ntozake Shange written in 1976 and was performed in California and New York. In 1977 it was published as a book. I read this book when I was ten years old and all I remembered was the women had names of colors like the rainbow, Lady in Purple, Lady in Orange, Lady in Brown, Lady in Green and Lady in Red each one holding a poetic message for the black female experience.
I recently ordered the DVD from Netflix and viewed it with my 15 year old daughter. We laughed, we cried and held silence both of us as our memories or other peoples stories appeared before our eyes. It was a collection of over 20 poems dealing with the issues of rape, abortion, abandonment, domestic abuse, love. Black women trying to find their voices and expressing how the men in their lives treated them.
The final poems was "a laying of hands" that brought all the women together. The Lady in Brown shared with the others and us how she has found God in her and she loves her fiercely. (Deep) The cast was amazing and fabulously beautiful which consisted of Alfe Woodard, Lynn Whitfield and others. The closing song was by Patti Labelle.
Late last year Whoopi Goldberg and others announced Ntozake Shange's play to Broadway and to tour the US for 2 years with Grammy Award winner India Arie in the cast but for reasons unknown as of 11/20/08 the play has been postponed.

We loved it and agreed the issues that was discussed were the same issues women face today. When this wonderful play arrives to Broadway we will be there.



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