For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
81

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf NYC Reviews and Tickets

81%
(127 Reviews)
Positive
94%
Mixed
6%
Negative
0%
Members say
Absorbing, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Great staging

About the Show

Filled with passion, humor, and raw honesty, playwright/poet Ntozake Shange’s form-changing choreopoem tells the stories of seven women of color using poetry, song, and movement. 

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Member Reviews (127)

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888 Reviews | 1017 Followers
75
Slow, Intense, Relevant, Great acting

See it if You enjoy shows with strong female characters and heavy themes. Great performances from the whole cast.

Don't see it if Told through a series of monologues, some poetic language. If you have a hard time following you may want to watch the movie beforehand.

1039 Reviews | 425 Followers
77
Absorbing, Slow, Glorious, Intense, Great acting

See it if You want to be carried away by seven absorbing paths on a journey that at times is joyous while other times heartbreaking. Intriguing.

Don't see it if You want a traditional play with a linear plot. This is more of an emotional journey than a straight forward story. Read more

913 Reviews | 265 Followers
92

See it if see Broadway version rating

Don't see it if see Broadway version rating

664 Reviews | 293 Followers
76
Dynamic revival of legendary early feminist show about travails of black women/benefits of sisterhood; but shows its age

See it if sexy propulsive dancing by 7 sensational dancers; tells vivid individual stories of black women caged by patriarchal society

Don't see it if stories told via DENSE poetry; individual stories not well integrated; black feminism moved past this show’s focus on black male oppression

MJK
677 Reviews | 191 Followers
78
Thought-provoking, Energetic, Dated, Colorful

See it if you want to see a rhythmic, spirited (albeit intense, at times) revival of a seminal work of female empowerment, told through poetry & dance

Don't see it if u prefer conventional storytelling & plot-based drama; u expect this 1970s work to feel less dated in the #metoo & #blacklivesmatters era.

670 Reviews | 156 Followers
70
Some good performances, Occasionally listless, Colorful, Dated

See it if you’d like to see an adequate production of a mid-1970s theater milestone.

Don't see it if you are expecting that this classic poetic dance-play about race & gender would feel relevant in the age of Black Lives Matter & #MeToo. Read more

688 Reviews | 116 Followers
78
Edgy, Resonant, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Ambitious

See it if Gardiner's fluid staging, Brown's robust choreo & Chang's lighting provide an evocative setting for these "girls" & their gritty journeys

Don't see it if The dramatic in the round staging while potent causes audibility problems Despite Shange's poetics & fine ensemble, writing can go slack

567 Reviews | 147 Followers
76
Intelligent, Dated, Thought-provoking, Great writing, Absorbing

See it if Chunky rainbow pop-beaded assembly of movement-monologue reflecting the black femme experience stemming from putdowns.

Don't see it if Not diminishing the original impact,the revival is lessened by forward social accomplishment.Still, it's poetic buffering of harsh realities

Critic Reviews (14)

The New York Times
October 22nd, 2019

CRITIC’S PICK "Ntozake Shange’s Women Endure: The director Leah C. Gardiner delivers a warm and inspiriting revival of the landmark poetic drama, with a gloriously interdependent cast."
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Time Out New York
October 22nd, 2019

4/5 Stars "The incantation begins with Ntozake Shange's singular text, first performed at the Public in 1976 and described as a 'choreopoem' by its creator. Shange's ingenious fusion of language, music and movement conjures one soul-stirring revelation after the next."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
October 22nd, 2019

"43 Years on, 'for colored girls…' Comes Alive at the Public Again"
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The Wall Street Journal
October 31st, 2019

"Choreopoetry in Motion Ntozake Shange’s work about seven young women of color who reflect on their lives and problematic prospects gets a revival at the Public."
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Theatermania
October 22nd, 2019

"Ntozake Shange's 'For Colored Girls...' Is Still a Tragic, Joyous, Metaphysical Dilemma: The 40-year-old poetic play returns to its early home at the Public Theater under the direction of Leah C. Gardiner."
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BroadwayWorld
October 28th, 2019

"Ntozake Shange's Groundbreaking 'FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF' Returns To The Public"
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Lighting & Sound America
October 22nd, 2019

"The writing is defiant, angry, introspective, amused, sensual -- a passionate cascade of images and ideas from black women who, in 1976, were not typically invited downstage center, and who, in 2019, are still underrepresented."
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New York Stage Review
October 22nd, 2019

5/5 Stars "When 'For Colored Girls' opened at the Public Theater in June 1976, it was shocking, disturbing, disheartening, reassuring, life-giving, and an indisputable theatrical event. After 43 years it remains everything it was then, perhaps even more so."
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