FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE / WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 12:00am

Seven women are coming back home to tell their stories.

The first Broadway revival of Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf begins previews tomorrow night at the Booth Theatre (where it originally opened in 1976), before an April 20 official opening. Directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, the ensemble piece features Amara Granderson, Tendayi Kuumba, Kenita R. Miller, Okwui Okpokwasili, Stacey Sergeant, Alexandria Wailes, and D. Woods. for colored girls will play a limited engagement through August 14.

This is another play I have read multiple times; I have seen a performance of it on YouTube as well. I am eager to find out how Brown will approach this piece.

“Join the circle as seven powerful women share their stories, find their strength, and rejoice in each other’s humor and passion through a fusion of music, dance, poetry, and song that explodes off the stage and resonates with us all. It’s time for joy. It’s time for sisterhood. It’s time for colored girls.”

Who’s joining the circle?

Updated On: 3/31/22 at 12:00 AM

[mcsquared]

Posted: 3/31/22 at 9:34pm

Planning on going Memorial Day weekend.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 10:05pm

Did anyone go tonight? 90 minute runtime, no intermission. 

[round2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:42pm

I'm also looking forward to hearing any early reports. The original production was amazing. The one at the Public in 2019 was... less so. Hoping for a Camille A. Brown directorial triumph with it now!

Updated On: 4/2/22 at 01:42 PM

[troynow]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 4:10pm

Went last night. it is a bit rough in concept of what is happening. The production does indeed have alot more dance because of Camille. But, I am unclear on the purpose. All around perhaps more workshop tine for Camille to figure out what she actually wants out of the piece other than dance.

The house was 1/4 full. People trickled in late but it was ok.

I too saw this at the Public… not as buzzy as the public but acceptable 


 

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 2:00am

Anyone went tonight? Cant decide between this, “Skin” and “Take Me Out”, so really waiting for reviews of the first two haha

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 2:03pm

The house was a quarter filled? That's terrible. I will never know the reason they put this on Broadway and in this current climate. It's a very heavy show with a very specific audience, and as we've seen with the grosses, people want a light, fun show right now. This makes me sad because it's a brilliant work. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 3:45pm

If anyone's interested, I have one of those $20.22 promo tickets that I won't be able to use, for Sunday, Aprl 17th, at 3 p.m. I can return it, but I'd rather pass along the savings. Seat is orchestra BB 101 (second row). It came out to $31.72 with fees, and I have the PDF to forward. PM me!

Updated On: 4/4/22 at 03:45 PM

[Lumiere2]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 3:52pm

Is there a rush policy or day-of discounts for this show? I can't find one and am curious...

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 4/4/22 at 2:50am

TaffyDavenport said: "If anyone's interested, I have one of those $20.22 promo tickets that I won't be able to use, for Sunday, March 17th, at 3 p.m. I can return it, but I'd rather pass along the savings. Seat is orchestra BB 101 (second row). It came out to $31.72 with fees, and I have the PDF to forward. PM me!"

did you mean 4/17? if so I would be interested

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/4/22 at 8:58am

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "TaffyDavenport said: "If anyone's interested, I have one of those $20.22 promo tickets that I won't be able to use, for Sunday, March 17th, at 3 p.m. I can return it, but I'd rather pass along the savings. Seat is orchestra BB 101 (second row). It came out to $31.72 with fees, and I have the PDF to forward. PM me!"

did you mean 4/17? if so I would be interested

"

Yes, 4/17, sorry. PM'd you.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 12:27am

There’s no rush or lottery for the show?

[kurtal]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 11:04pm

I saw this tonight (TDF tickets put us in Orchestra A 3-7).  And overall I was really pleased.  I thought the cast, overall, was fantastic, with standout performances from Kenita R. Miller, Tendayi Kuumba, and Stacey Sargeant.  The pacing and transitions between a few of the vignettes still needs a little bit of tightening, but when the show landed (and it did more than it didn't), it landed beautifully.  Running time was about 1:40.

I thought the lighting and projections were excellent, adding to the mood and energy of each piece without being distracting.  The movement was excellent, and I could very much Camille Brown scoring a Tony nom for her choreography.  

Overall, I highly recommend it.  

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 11:06pm

MadsonMelo said: "There’s no rush or lottery for the show?"

No lotto that I know of, but there is rush for a very reasonable $27!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 1:50am

Love to hear more about the design/direction. I honestly don't know much about this piece other than it's a bunch of monologues/vignettes? 

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 9:43pm

Hamilfan2 said: "MadsonMelo said: "There’s no rush or lottery for the show?"

No lotto that I know of, but there is rush for a very reasonable $27!"

Do u know where the seat rushs are located and if Theres a big line? Will likely try on sunday (either this or “Skin&rdquo

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 9:51pm

Leaving the show now, and I can’t even find the words to describe how deeply I adored this production.

The house seemed full tonight, by the way. 

Updated On: 4/6/22 at 09:51 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 10:38pm

Stopped at Schmackery’s cuz they have maple bacon today but home now. 
 

This is the kind of show that deserves to have all the women competing for a group Tony Award. It would be impossible to single any one of the 7 out as more deserving than the other but combined they very much deserve the honor. 
 

Camille A. Brown has really done a masterful job directing and choreographing this. She deserves so much credit for the beauty of what’s on that stage. From The people who didn’t enjoy it, I’m curious if you knew the piece before going into this. “For Colored Girls” is a play that I’ve been familiar with since High School back in *coughthe90scough* and I’ve always wanted to see it done live. For me, one of the shows highlights is Alexandria Wailes, who is Deaf and signs her role. Parts are translated but then others aren’t, which is very powerful when her signing is seen by the audience and even without knowing exactly what she’s saying, everyone knows. Over the years, I’ve learned so much from Alexandria in the class room setting and to see her shine up there and be supported by these women who also integrate ASL into their words, it brought me to tears more than a few times. 
 

The cast was visibly moved and, I might even say shocked at the response they received tonight. They deserved every bit of it. Getting to hear Ntozake Shange‘a words from the same stage they were on 46 years ago is such a rare treat. I hope people go and discover this show and this poetry and they appreciate it as much as I did tonight. 

Updated On: 4/7/22 at 10:38 PM

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 12:55am

Went into this not really knowing anything about it outside of the general concept and have to say it made for a pretty wonderful night.  There were definitely moments where I didn't quite understand the poem or where I felt I had lost the thread, but the overall vibe and energy that the cast was giving really kept me into it despite not comprehending the actual words.

I really love the choreography in this (this season is shaping up to be a pretty exciting Tony category for choreo), and many of the segments involve only one or a few of the women speaking either while simultaneously doing the choreography or while other members of the cast dance around them.  It really changes from poem to poem (some have the full cast on stage while some only have one, and pretty much every combination in between), but the way the movement is incorporated into the piece is really masterful. 

The set is quite simple, mostly made up of different hanging panels that serve as projection screens, but the way they use color really enhances the show to a degree that I would not have expected.  All the elements in general really come together quite well (though there were times when an actor was half in shadow, so not sure if that's a kink to be worked out in previews or if that was deliberate).

I agree that Alexandria Wailes was really quite special to watch, but D. Woods as the Lady in Yellow also stood out to me, though really the entire cast is top-notch.  It's not necessarily one of my new favorite plays but the general energy in the room from both the cast and the audience made it feel really special, and I'll probably purchase a copy to read sometime in the near future.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:06am

Guys, is it 90 minutes period?

I was thinking on seeing this 2pm on Saturday and then head to Sleep No More at 4pm, google Maps says it would took me less than 20 minutes to go from one place to another. Too risky?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:09am

It’s a little over 90 mins. I think i was on the street at 9:45 tonight but it also started at about 8:10.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:17am

MadsonMelo said: "Guys, is it 90 minutes period?

I was thinking on seeing this 2pm on Saturday and then head to Sleep No More at 4pm, google Maps says it would took me less than 20 minutes to go from one place to another. Too risky?"

Show started at about 8:10 today, and I didn't check the time when I got out (though I texted my friend at 9:45 when I was on the street), but from my experience at Sleep No More a couple weeks ago, I don't think they're super strict on the timing.  Then again, I saw an 8pm show on a Friday which might've been busier, but their line stretched down the block and I probably got into the building right around 8pm while there was still a decent number of people behind me (again, based on my texts, since you essentially lock your phone in a bag upon entering).  I've heard that if you show up early there are extra things to see though, so while it might be doable, may not be the best experience overall.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:43am

chrishuyen said: "MadsonMelo said: "Guys, is it 90 minutes period?

I was thinking on seeing this 2pm on Saturday and then head to Sleep No More at 4pm, google Maps says it would took me less than 20 minutes to go from one place to another. Too risky?"

Show started at about 8:10 today, and I didn't check the time when I got out (though I texted my friend at 9:45 when I was on the street), but from my experience at Sleep No More a couple weeks ago, I don't think they're super strict on the timing. Then again, I saw an 8pm show on a Friday which might've been busier, but their line stretched down the block and I probably got into the building right around 8pm while there was still a decent number of people behind me (again, based on my texts, since you essentially lock your phone in a bag upon entering). I've heard that if you show up early there are extra things to see though, so while it might be doable, may not be the best experience overall."


thanks, also one more thing, I will likely buy directly from the site. Is there any discount or so to Sleep No More?

[kurtal]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 8:04am

MadsonMelo said: thanks, also one more thing, I will likely buy directly from the site. Is there any discount or so to Sleep No More?"

Sleep No More regular here.  There aren't any regular discounts.  The producers seem to be allergic to the idea of discounts.  That said, they occasionally have a student rate that they deploy sparingly.  Best thing to do is to actually call the box office to book your ticket.  Ask if there's a student rate for the show you're seeing.  

In terms of arriving...the show actually starts at 3.  The entry times aren't real...just a way to manage the crowd.  Even if you buy a 4pm entry, you can show up whenever you want...they start letting people in at 245, and the show starts at 3.  So showing up at 4pm means you're sacrificing an hour's worth of a three hour show.  It will be a tight squeeze making it from the Booth to the McKittrick in 20 minutes.  That would require getting out of the show quickly...the A train timing well...and you sprinting from the subway station two avenues.  Technically you could do it, I guess.  But I wouldn't.

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 9:53am

TaffyDavenport said: "If anyone's interested, I have one of those $20.22 promo tickets that I won't be able to use, for Sunday, Aprl 17th, at 3 p.m. I can return it, but I'd rather pass along the savings. Seat is orchestra BB 101 (second row). It came out to $31.72 with fees, and I have the PDF to forward. PM me!"

This ticket is still available.