It is for coloured girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enough.
Initially written as a choreopoem by Ntozake Shange, it documents the lives and struggles of seven women associated by colour, each dealing with either abandonment, rape, love, infidelity, abortion and sexual illness.
From being a series of 20 poems, the piece has since turned into a theatre play and a film.
Whenever one reflects on Tyler Perry’s film version of it, the first scene that comes to mind is that of Beau Willies played by Michael Ealy throwing out his kids out of their apartment window on the fifth floor in full view of their mother Crystal played by Kimberly Elise, her boss and neighbours.
As he holds the two kids out, about to let them go, he gives Crystal an ultimatum to marry him.
Although it remains the most emotional scene of the movie, Mona Monyane takes it on in the South African version of the theatre play.
“That script is a horror story. It tears you apart. I watched it when I was in varsity. I believe I was in my second year of varsity. I went back, I saw the scene where Michael Ealy, who unfortunately for him, gave such a brilliant performance that I can't look at him the same way ever again in my life. I'm angry at him.”
To her surprise, the emotional scene brought out of a masculine tone and narrative from her.
“This was a spiritual thing for me. I did not go into it saying, I want to play it like that. I went into it saying, ‘I'm honouring Crystal's voice as a woman who's been jaded’ but there came a day where it was spiritually ordained that I embody the masculine voice. And when that happened, it was amazing. The performances were absolutely hectic for me because embodying masculine rage or masculine pain in a feminine body is difficult. There's so much that is unexpressed. There's so much that is restrained. There's so much that is confused, and because it's confused, it's angry that it's confused.”
Having lost a child herself, she tells Drum that her character showed her how she’s come in her healing journey.
“I found myself honouring that heartbreak. This piece absolutely just allowed me to have empathy and compassion towards the man, believe it or not. Going into it, I have taken a very public healing journey, because that's what God asked of me, and I understand that it was in preparation for this role, because I do feel as if the me three years ago, or two years ago, or even a year ago, might not have been able to carry me.”
As everyone watched it come together at the Joburg theatre, sniffs were heard, and tears briefly rolled down cheeks from how emotionally-loaded the artwork still is.
The play was on at the Joburg theatre from 16 February to 3 March, but it was only at the last show that she admits to having felt personally triggered for the first time.
Read More | Mona Monyane is engaged! – 'I am safe, I am loved, I am seen'
“I kind of went there (to her personal loss) a little bit and it came back, but I want everybody to know that I'm okay. This has been a beautiful exploration of what I can do as an emotive actress, because that's what I specialise in. A lot of my work is emotive and just seeing how I can share my truth [was beautiful.”
“This story was not triggering for me as a mother. It was triggering for me as a woman who had fallen in love with a man who perhaps had his own battles to face and being able to just sort of see it from that perspective [was eye-opening].”
When the 33-year-old actress was going through the loss of her second child who was only seven days old at the time of her passing, she had taken a break from the acting industry after having her first child.
“I made a conscious choice to be a prison mother to my child in her formative years because I think those are the most important years of her life. I almost gave up. I almost quit the industry, to be completely honest. Due to my personal circumstances, I was so disheartened that I felt like I wasn't an actress anymore. I thought I had nothing to add.”
She adds that from her perspective, she started criticizing the kind of stories that were told in the industry and whether or not people had lost the sense of art by chasing money.
After an eventful six years of her life though with just one role played in the 2022 Wild is the wind film, she says that she’s back and she’s better.
Read More | Actress Mona Monyane pays tribute to her late daughter
In the play, her character was meant to be played by Lerato Mvelase but because she had an international opportunity come her way, Mona was approached by James Ngcobo three days before rehearsal.
Without thinking twice, the theatre-trained actress opened herself up to James’ vision and interpretation of the play as the director.
“He was extremely generous and open to our contribution as women [which] came through in the development of our characters and just the interaction that we were doing in the play.”
Working beside Siphesihle Ndaba, Refilwe Modiselle, Swankie Mafoko, Thuto Gaasenwe, Danica Jones, Boitumelo Lesejane, and Sioban King, the all-women made the play their own.
“We are hoping that it grows legs, that we can travel, and we can share the story because it's so relevant in this modern time, even though it's a 50-year-old play. But for myself personally, as an actress, I'm an anchored in theatre, that's where my heartbeat lies.
