In Ntozake Shange's powerful mid-'70s "choreo-poem," a group of African-Americans dramatizes the struggles and journey toward self respect experienced by black women in America.
Still, Shange's work remains as riveting as it was in 1976. Her words have become more than the unspoken and unrealized accounts of Black women's pain and promise; they have evolved into the gift of permission to heal and the agency to be seen and understood. It has become a memo to Black women to embrace their femaleness (no matter what that looks like) while looking to the rainbow as a sign of hope for the future of the collective, because they alone are enough.
Brown, who has become the first Black woman to serve as a director-choreographer on Broadway in 65 years, was an ideal choice for helming the revival, infusing it with modern dance and coordinating its visual and lyrical elements into a striking pattern. The seven women (including Amara Granderson, Tendayi Kuumba, Kenita R. Miller, Okwui Okpokwasil'i, Stacey Sergeant, Alexandria Wailes, and D. Woods) handle their solo pieces beautifully while also forming a tightly-knit ensemble.
1976 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
1976 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1976 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
1979 | West End |
London Production West End |
1980 | Regional (US) |
Regional Revival Regional (US) |
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Videos