Once described by New York Daily as, "A triumphant event, filled with humor. Pure theatre" and Time Magazine as "A poignant, gripping, angry and beautiful work,” it is obvious that For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, lives up to its raving reviews. So, when I heard the Obsidian Theater was bringing the production to Houston, it was no doubt that I had to be there. Having seen the movie by director Tyler Perry, I knew what I was in store for but I was not prepared for how deep the cast would dive into their roles.

The first work and most acclaimed theater piece by Ntozake Shange,

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf tackles the subjects of rape, abandonment, abortion, and domestic violence from the perspective of seven nameless women. The all African-American cast, only identified by the colors they were assigned, fearlessly tells the tales in scenes that were filled with emotion, drama, and a little comic relief. Being in the audience there was no denying that each actor embodied their roles to deliver the best portrayal of their characters. The cast starred Sara Jackson as Lady in Brown, Raven Troup as Lady in Orange, Esteé Burks as Lady in Yellow, Destiny Mosely as Lady in Green, Anna Maria Morris as Lady in Blue, Kimberly Hicks as Lady in Red, and Sonya D. Gooden as Lady in Purple.

Directed by Dabrina Sandifer, the cast undoubtedly shed like to this groundbreaking "choreopoem" with its spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives. I was able to exchange a few words with the director after the show and doing so I could not stop praising her for capturing the brutal, tender, and dramatic lives of these contemporary Black women while offering a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music, and poetry. She along with the help of her stage manager Krishunda Goodman and executive producer Tom Stell allowed the audience to explore the dark places with the characters and feel their pain and agony up close and personal.

About Obsidian Theater:

Since its inception in March 2010, Obsidian Theater (formerly Obsidian Art Space) has provided an affordable space for visual and performing artists’ creative works. Obsidian seeks to provide an environment in which artists,’ creative and imaginations, may thrive. Named Houston’s Best New Arts Venue of 2011 by the Houston Press, Obsidian continues to serve Houston artists and the historic Heights community with their intimate and versatile black box space.

In 2017, Obsidian Theater and SRO Productions merged in order to continue to provide the Heights with outstanding theatrical works of musicals and non-musicals. This new version of Obsidian Theater won the Houston Press Theatre Award for Best Musical with Passing Strange in 2017.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf is in production now through February 17th. The show is a MUST SEE!

Special thank you to actress Sara Jackson for the ticket accommodations. Get more information or purchase tickets by visiting www.obsidiantheater.org.