In The Red and Brown Water

Oya, a teenage girl living in the projects with her mother, Mama Moja, is the focus of this dramatic coming of age story. Oya is a runner and is fast enough to be offered a scholarship to run track and escape the poor life she lives. After making the decision to decline the opportunity, for the time being, she is forced to remain in her current life. As time goes on and her mother passes, Oya is in search of a man to impregnate her. A competition between two dominant male characters Shango, an arrogant military man and Ogun Size, a hard-working mechanic, ensues…but little does Oya know, she is infertile. The whole time she is following an impossible goal.

One thing about the story that I thought was most important was the fact that the women in the projects were looking to have children. If they were poor, why would they want more mouths to feed and bodies to shelter? Oya chases Shango who desires as the father of her child, but he constantly drifts in and out of her life as he gets deployed to her and returns home. She risks everything to be with him. In the end, she is devastated when she finds out he has impregnated another woman and she herself can never get pregnant. In the shocking final scenes of the play, Oya cuts off her very own ear, which Shango used to caress. Symbolically she is ridding herself of him completely, which ultimately causes her death as she bleeds from the wound.

In this performance, I actually found Elegba, a young man with a seemingly minor role in the story, to be most compelling. He is always in and out of the story with his wild and carefree attitude toward life. Even though he cannot afford food and rarely has a place to live, he remains enthusiastic at all times. When he is only 16 and finds out he has gotten a girl pregnant, he does not worry or panic, he excitedly welcomes the child into the world. Throughout the play, he is portrayed in a comedic style, but he is inspiring to Oya and others.

Overall, I thought the performance was well done. The characters were passionate and convincing. Also, the music, costumes and settings were interesting and appropriate. One thing about the play I thought was confusing was the random incorporation of modern dance/rap music into this serious story. It did not seem to fit in with the flow and overall themes of the play.

In the past, I have seen one or two live theatrical performances. This one was different though. It was a different type of story and performance. The cultural aspects of it, like when the characters are all united and singing in church on Sunday and the portrayal of their cultural family dynamics were very realistic and interesting. Previously I had only seen plays that were fairytales like Beauty and The Beast. This was different and sort of shocking at first with its eccentric storyline and colorful language. It was not what I was expecting at all, but after reflecting back on my experience, I think it was a good story and a great performance.