![\"\"](\"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/forcoloredgirls.jpg\" "\\"forcoloredgirls\\"")
<\/a>The Cast<\/p><\/div>\n
The Bonn Studio Theater has been transformed into an underground piano bar for Boston College Theatre Department\u2019s production of for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf<\/em> by Ntozake Shange. Scenic and lighting designer Ben Wilson creates this subterranean locale by having half the audience sit on the stage deck at various caf\u00e9 tables complete with high tops, Thonet chairs, and flickering electric candles. There is no real offstage in for colored girls\u2026<\/em> and thus nowhere to hide; actresses and audience alike are always at least dimly visible. Despite the sunless atmosphere, flashes of color from Jackie Dalley\u2019s costumes breathe light into the underground bar. So do the ladies\u2019 vivid tales.<\/p>\n The eight women take turns sharing stories of sexuality and abortion, of loss and empowerment. Director John Houchin and choreographer Pam Newton have the women weave and dance around the caf\u00e9 tables, allowing them to address their audience from different angles. The caf\u00e9 setup almost mirrors an arena stage, characteristic of intimate shows though prone to sightline issues, but Houchin skillfully uses the open center stage and Wilson\u2019s platforms to keep the actresses in sight and at home with their audience.<\/p>\n Structurally unique, Shange bills her abstract play as a \u201cchoreopoem.\u201d There is no plot, no scene changes, and no conversation save the actresses\u2019 direct addresses. Instead, the women from different cities and social classes congregate in a common space where they can share their poetic narratives. Houchin succeeds in creating this sense of community, both with his actresses and the audience. The ladies listen to each other\u2019s monologues and often take on roles in other\u2019s stories. They snap fingers in affirmation. They offer warm hands during poignant recounts. And by the play\u2019s celebratory finale, the audience is snapping, stomping, and swaying with the eight buoyant women.<\/p>\n The young actresses handle Shange\u2019s lyrical text proficiently. However when one performer soulfully connects with a monologue it makes a less focused story pale in comparison. Sydney McNeal, as the Lady in Purple, is the most consistent and grounded in her poetry. In a sold out Bonn Studio Theater volume is easily swallowed, but McNeal\u2019s lucid diction and range of emotions easily makes the audience understand and connect with her stories of a one-night stand and a man\u2019s porous apology.<\/p>\n When the other women are similarly connected, the poetry soars. Toluwase Oladapo\u2019s story of abuse as the Lady in Green and Raven Tillman\u2019s loss of a child as the Lady in Red are testament to this. During such heightened moments the actresses embodied their characters and let Shange\u2019s poetry captivate, however in expository phrases words were often glazed over.<\/p>\n At only an 80-minute runtime, the added dancing never elongates or distracts from the story. Instead Newton\u2019s choreography is economically used as a way to bridge monologues and let the ladies, and audience, shake off the often harrowing tales.<\/p>\n While dancing, the Lady in Blue (Ashlie Pruitt) contemplates what life would be like if she weren\u2019t a woman of color. Bored by the prospect, she sarcastically proposes, \u201cLet\u2019s think our way outta feelin\u2019.\u201d She laughs, throws her arms up, and twirls, splattering the audience with her effervescent colors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n for colored girls\u2026 <\/em>runs through March 23. Tickets are $10 for students with ID and $15 for adults. The play contains strobe lights and sexual content. For more information visit bc.edu\/theatre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Colorful Tales Come to Black Box Theatre by Billy McEntee The Lady in Orange spins onto the stage. She takes in her audience, and a moment later the Lady in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":17022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[601],"tags":[604,491,606,605,188],"class_list":{"0":"post-16990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-test-review","8":"tag-college","9":"tag-drama","10":"tag-for-colored-girls","11":"tag-ntozake-shange","12":"tag-theatre"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"