This afternoon I went to a performance at the UMSL Touhill Center to see For Colored Girls. I really was excited because I know the young and talented lady who did the choreography. I know her through my sister and they go WAAAY back. The theater were it was held, called the Lee Theater was great because of it's intimate setting. Since my mother and I were early, she went into the theater to reserve our seats since it was General Admission. Another friend of my sisters also met us there with her daughter. So after they were seated I waited on my sister who was running late.
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| The cast of “For Colored Girls” includes (from left) Alexandria Johnson,
Aranesha Jackson, LaShunda Gardner, Tierra Brown, Shonell Watkins and
Brittnee Bell. (Photo by August Jennewein) |
By the time we went in, 5 minutes into the performance, they were making people go upstairs as to not disturb the performance. So we went up to the second floor area but when we located the rest of our party on the front row, we went back to the first floor and had an usher take us to our reserved seats.
What can I say about this performance...the acting was on point and it was excellently paired with the dancing. The stories the ladies told from loving a man, loving themselves, rape, child murder, childhood fantasies and abuse were blended so beautifully. Of course there were some ladies that really stood out for me with their acting, but overall they did a wonderful job.
After the performance which easily earned a standing ovation, chairs were brought out so members of the audience could ask the cast members, the director, the band, and the choreographer (Andrea Peoples) some questions. Afterwards we congratulated our friend on such an amazing job. Then we went out into the lobby area and I saw a few people that I recognized and congratulated some of the cast members.
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| Andrea in the black, choreographer for the performance |
Before we left we made sure to get some pictures with Andrea! Also check out Kreative Pandemonium, they are a music and dance ensemble that Andrea is a co-founder of that specializes in showcasing various dances worldwide. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out their performances.
Overall, I feel young ladies of all ages and ethnicities would benefit greatly from seeing this play.
Until the next episode....
All That MsJazz
