One of the most magical aspects of theater is how it uses artifice to show its audience reality. Wigs, costumes, fictional stories and characters all somehow coalesce to make something real from the fake.

In the production of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf” onstage at Theater West End in Sanford, the magic comes from the fact there doesn’t seem to be any artifice at all.

And that’s not intended to slight Maria Tew’s gorgeous rainbow of costumes that adorn the performers.

Rather, it’s an observation that this particular piece appears to be deeply personal to these actors. One immediately senses that they aren’t just saying Ntozake Shange’s exquisitely chosen words, they aren’t even acting them. They are living them and living with them. And there’s immense power in seeing that play out onstage.

The line is blurred further in that the performers use their actual names while onstage, adding to the sensation that although they didn’t necessarily experience these exact circumstances, they understand them only all too well.

Edmarie Montes, center, with her castmates in the Theater West End production of “For Colored GIrls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)

If it isn’t obvious by now, I will point out that “For Colored Girls…” is a particularly unique entry in the theatrical repertoire. There’s no linear narrative, but an ensemble of women, identified only by the color they wear, who express what it means to be Black and a woman through Shange’s lyrical writing and movement.

The last Broadway revival of “For Colored Girls…,” in 2022, received some criticism that the movement overpowered the dialogue at time. That’s certainly not the case here. Choreographer/assistant director Bethany Hemmans, who also performs as the Lady in Yellow, beautifully has the movement reflect the performers’ emotions without distracting from the tales they tell.

Certain monologues are often lauded (for good reason) in reviews of the show, particularly the Lady in Red’s harrowing tale of spousal abuse involving children and the Lady in Green’s “Somebody Almost Walked Off With All of My Stuff” in which she demands the return of more than mere trinkets. Both of those are first-rate here.

Poetry in motion: Ayòfémi Jeriah Demps (from left), choreographer Bethany Hemmans and Roberta Emerson perform a scene from the Theater West End production of “For Colored GIrls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.” (Courtesy Mike Kitaif via Theater West End)

Roberta Emerson, who also directed the show, offers visceral pain and fear as the Lady in Red in the aforementioned segment and also stands out in another bit where she’s a woman ending an unsatisfying affair. Patrece Bloomfield, in green, wrings the emotional truth out of every line of “All of My Stuff,” deftly using different inflections to shade the meanings.

But everyone has a chance to shine, whether it’s Nyeshia Naomii’s voice soaring to the heavens as she implores “Come down!” or Desiree Montes’s voice cracking from strain as she repeats the unwelcome word “positive.”

Hemmans has just the right amount of youthful excitement and naivete in the story of a young woman about to lose her virginity, Ayọ̀fẹ́mi Jeriah Demps has fun with the story of a girl who grows up with the help of a famous friend only she can see. And Edmarie Montes is riveting in her grounded approach to a woman making a shattering decision and with a snappy call for “no more sorries” from the men in her life.

If these stories don’t sound like you’ll personally relate to them, that’s OK. Sometimes theater is for looking, listening and learning — even imagining yourself in someone else’s shoes. That’s what “For Colored Girls” can do for you if you are not black or female. And you may be surprised to discover your own connection with these women’s hopes and dreams and disappointments and need to be valued. That’s also part of the magic of theater.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

‘For Colored Girls…’

What: Production of ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf’
Length: 90 minutes, no intermission
Where: Theater West End, 115 W. 1st St. in Sanford
When: Through Sept. 21
Cost:  $25 and up

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/07/for-colored-girls-review-theater-west-end/