Kayla M. Sutter
Copy Editor-in-Chief
Blue lights dressed the Smith-McFarland Theatre stage Sunday afternoon, as the cast of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” began their last performance.
At the beginning of the production the cast of seven, Destiny Deshawn Washington as Lady in Brown, Jannel Armstrong as Lady in Red, Cherval Royster as Lady in Orange, Ayuana Rosario as Lady in Yellow, Victoria Silva as Lady in Green, Taylor Torres as Lady in Blue and Angelica Ramirez as Lady in Purple, explosively entered to the guitar-heavy Paramore song “Ignorance,” dancing dramatically and tumbling all over the stage.
The first spoken words of the play were yelled out by the cast: “Do something!”
These two words held great importance over the length of the production. “For Colored Girls…” carries the stories of seven women who have all experienced horrible events.
These events unfortunately led them to try and commit suicide, hence the title of the play. Fortunately, these women all found the ends of their rainbows and overcame their struggles.
The production, spewing with happiness and witty jokes during some parts, also highlighted the struggles and hardships many women face throughout their lives such as abuse, abortion, racism, sexual problems, heartbreak, objectification and more.
The cast of seven wowed the audience with their phenomenal performance. Each woman on the stage possessed so much passion and talent. The raw emotion really added to the overall experience, capturing the audience in every scene.
As the play progressed, each woman told her story with loads of emotion. As an audience member, you would think these women truly experienced the stories they acted out.
The audience loved every minute of the production. Some attendees felt so strongly with the words the women spoke, they shouted ‘amen,’ ‘yes girl’ and filled the room with subtle snapping.
Washington, who played Lady in Brown, amused the audience with her sassy remarks and dramatic dictations directed at the audience. Washington’s character stressed that the women’s lives are important and that something must be done.
Armstrong, who played Lady in Red, had the audience at the edge of their seats with her emotion-filled scene about Beau Willie and their children. Armstrong channeled her raw emotion as she screamed and cried throughout the scene, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.
When the scene ended, there was not a dry eye in the house — even Armstrong had tears rolling down her face.
Torres, Lady in Blue, produced a chilling scene about unexpected pregnancy and the process of abortion. The emotion Torres put into this scene left a lasting impact on the audience.
“It was amazing! The best production I’ve seen in my four years!” President of Student Senate Drew Johnson commented.
The production was unlike any play I have ever seen. “For Colored Girls…” was an emotional, captivating, and interactive experience that I will never forget.
Without a doubt life changing, the production opened eyes to the horrors some women face and the negative impacts these horrors cause.
It also opened eyes to the positives in life, and how no one should settle or stop fighting for love and happiness.
Email Kayla at:
ksutter2@live.esu.edu
