What I've come to expect from Ann Arbor's gutsy, little Blackbird Theatre is the unexpected – and that certainly describes its current production, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf." A regular staple of Black Theater programs at universities across the country, it is rare for this classic "choreopoem" to be produced by a company run by white folk – or directed by a young man of Middle Eastern heritage.
Why? Because "For Colored Girls" vividly explores the realities of life for black women in America – and playwright Ntozake Shange's "firebomb of a poem," as critic Hilton Als recently called it, holds nothing back.
Unlike a traditional play with a continuing storyline and on-going characters, "For Colored Girls" consists of 20 poems seamlessly delivered through spoken word, movement and song by seven nameless women identified in the program only by color – Lady in Yellow, for example. Their stories are raw and visceral; one – stunningly told by the excellent Gayle Martin in this production's best moment – leaves you emotionally drained.
The Blackbird's production is always visually interesting, thanks to director Ahmed Muslimani and movement coordinator Rebecca Staffend. And uniformly fine performances are given by the actresses.
Yet one can't help wonder if "For Colored Girls" – seemingly modern-day, yet anchored so tightly in the '70s when it was conceived – is still relevant, especially to today's young black women. It's THAT type of thoughtful discussion that GOOD THEATER should generate!
'For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf'
Blackbird Theatre, Ann Arbor. Fri.-Sun., through June 23; then Fri.-Sat., June 29-30 at Boll YMCA, Detroit. $18. For information: 734-332-3848 or http://www.blackbirdtheatre.net
