After closure for a major refurb, Hackney’s revamped Yard Theatre reopens with a bang. Kicking off the season is a fresh retelling of Ntozake Shange’s powerful choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Celebrating its 50th anniversary during this run, the show feels as visceral and relevant as ever in this captivating adaptation from director Diane Page.
For colored girls is a ‘choreopoem’, a term probably only theatre kids would recognise but that is actually pretty self-explanatory: dance and poetry. Shange doesn’t offer one consistent narrative, but a medley of vignettes. Some are fairly conventional and easy to follow, others more fluid and emotive. The cast of five take on all roles, sometimes playing multiple characters at once, or sharing one between them. Interspersed with the snippets are sequences of dance and song, with the score for this run provided by Jammz.
The nature of for colored girls means that the plot and characters of each scene aren’t always easy to discern. For the viewer this can be challenging, as it defies our expectations around what conventions are required for storytelling. But even when at its most non-traditional, for colored girls remains quite compelling, thanks to Shange’s beautiful, emotive writing. With evocative imagery and inspired lyricism, Shange may not always tell us who or where her characters are, but we understand completely how they are feeling. Their rage, their love, their anguish, their joy.
There’s a deep well of emotion in this piece and under the skilful direction of Diane Page, this adaptation brings it to life once more. The transition between stories is cleverly rendered, creating a sense of continuity and lending the characters an intimacy that’s hazily defined but still powerful. And of course, plenty of the emotional heft is delivered by the ensemble cast, who are consistently brilliant. Each of them gives a full-throated, full-bodied performance that feels like dance even when it isn’t.
The technical elements are also well executed: Cat Fuller’s costumes evoke an aesthetic that’s at once modern and retro, while Ali Hunter’s simple and unobtrusive lighting design packs a punch exactly when it needs to.
For colored girls is often a tough watch, tackling some incredibly heavy themes. And yet Shange still offers us joy. There’s humour. Ibilola Rossi gets the most laughs of the night as an eight-year-old whose imaginary friend is Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture. And the music and dance are undeniably infectious. Choreographer Ingrid MacKinnon provides some pretty impressive moves, especially during the Latin dance scenes, and there’s surely no greater credit to Jammz than the fact audience members continued to sing the final number after the show had concluded.
For colored girls has had an impressive legacy over the past five decades, from selling out its first Broadway run to inspiring Ryan Calais Cameron’s West End hit For Black Boys. This magnetic adaptation from Page and The Yard Theatre gives audiences a fantastic opportunity to see the theatrical trailblazer in all its glory.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
