#5: In the Red and Brown Water

In the projects of Bayou, Lousisiana, Oya, the main character of In the Red and Brown Water is a track crazed teen-aged girl. The plot of the play follows her transformation from girl to woman. Oya deals with the death of her mother, missing her chance at running track, and a rocky relationship with Shango. While dealing with all of this, she also has to deal with the fact that she can’t have a baby, something that she truly wanted. Her hardships finally overcome her and she cuts off her ear at a moment of insanity, killing herself, and ending the play. What struck me as the most important thing about the story for Oya was choosing between what her heart told her and what her mind told her. She wasn’t happy with Ogun Size, but he was the safe, reliable man in her life. Meanwhile her heart led her to loving Shango, the unreliable, rocky man in her life.  Her happiness and sanity were at stake for her here and even though she listened to her heart and chose Shango, she was too late and it resulted in her demise.

Throughout the performance Elegba, the maturing delinquent, captivated my attention. I loved watching his sass and immature moments while also seeing him transition into a man. He made some mistakes along the way, like getting a girl pregnant, but it ended up making him a better person. He loved having something to call his own. I was also caught off guard when I revealed that he was not only interested in women, but in men too. His comedic relief was essential to the plot and I found myself bursting out in laughter throughout the play. At first I thought I would find myself hating how the actors say their stage cues but I actually really enjoyed that aspect of the play. What I did not like as much was how I couldn’t keep up with some of the slang and language the actors used. I know it was part of the script, but at points they would be speaking too fast and I found myself getting lost.

Other than that, I surprisingly enjoyed all the other aspects of the game. This was not my first time seeing a live theater performance, but it was my first time seeing one at Penn State. I was pleasantly surprised the students acting in the play were so passionate and real. This definitely exceeded my expectations because I did not expect much going into the performance. The only other live theater performances I have seen have been big, overdone musicals on Broadway. Compared to those, this was more real and raw. I loved how the set was simple so the only thing you really focused on was the individual actors. Overall, I came out of this experience impressed and intrigued.