In The Red and Brown Water

      This is a story about a young girl blooming into adulthood facing various struggles that leave her sad and upset.  Oya, lives with her mother, Mama Moja, whom she loves very much.  Oya is the fastest girl around and she gets recruited by the state to run.  However, at this time, Mama Moja was sick and needed Oya by her side.  Mama Moja ends up dying shortly after, but it was too late to run for the state.  After she loses her chance to run, Oya finds herself wanting a baby more than anything.  There are a few men in her life who cannot seem to please her.  Elegba is the funny, crazy kid who cares for Oya and is there for her in his own corky way.  Shango leaves for war and after he returns, he is the expecting baby daddy for another girl.  Ogun loves her so much but her feelings don't match.  The story ends with a shocking twist that no one was expecting.

      At the beginning, the most important thing for the main character Oya was running. She constantly wanted to be flying down, moving her legs faster than anyone.  Her mother's illness prevented her from following this dream.  Later in the play, the most important thing to her was having a baby.  She wanted to bring a "sunshine" into the world but was unable.

      I was compelled by many things in this play! The drumming, dancing, and acting were all very entertaining.  The three drummers on the side of the stage played most of the music in the show, and it was perfect.  They looked like they were having fun, and they played great.  The dancing was beautiful and full of emotion.  Each of the character's personalities were all unique in their own ways.  Elegba and Aunt Elegua were the comedy acts of the play, Mama Moja was the orderly figure, and Oya was the emotion.

      

      I feel that I need to watch the play again to completely understand everything.  The ending confused me because I am still unsure why she did such a drastic thing.  Also, I felt that there wasn't the best flow during some of the play.  For example, the shift from Oya wanting to be a runner to wanting a family happened very fast.  I felt that this should have been a bigger moment, but it seemed rushed.  

      I have been to a number of plays, but none like this one.  This play was daring, emotional, funny, and a little weird.  There were times filled with emotion in dance and acting, then there were times where the whole crowd was laughing.  I think that this mix makes a good play because it becomes more interesting.  I would also consider it much more daring than other plays that I have seen.  There are not as many sexual references that are so obvious in other productions.  The music and dance were also unique.  The African dancing was one of my favorite parts because the dancers had so much emotion and were very talented.  This play will have your jaw dropping, but it is great!  I would see it again!