In the Red and Brown Water

       The Play In the Red and Brown Water brought up many different emotions, thoughts, and overall confusion. This high energy show is about a girl named Oya who lives in projects with her mom. Oya is an extremely talented track runner, and is offered to run at “State”. However, her mother is getting sicker and sicker by the day, and she declines the offer in order to stay with her mom. Unfortunately, soon after she makes this decision her mom passes away, and Oya’s offer is no longer available. After this, two men come into her life to keep her company and try to help her through this time. The first man, Chango, comes off as a very arrogant, headstrong guy who simply wants to get with Oya. He comes to her in her time of need, and she falls for his tricks. He later enlists in the army and leaves Oya at the curb. This is when Ogun, a man who has loved her since the first time he saw her, makes his move. He only wants to take care of her and love her, and they live together for some time. Throughout their time together, Shango periodically makes visits back home, only to steal Oya from Ogun. Oya deceits Ogun on various occasions, sneaking away in the night to meet with Shango. Oya’s main goal is to get pregnant since she can no longer run, but neither of the two men have given her a baby. Ogun has treated her with nothing but love, but she can’t deny the compassion and love she has for Shango. However, when Shango returns home once again, she finds out that he has impregnated another girl. When Shango arrives at her house, she tells him that she heard the good news, and wants to give him a gift for the baby shower. Oya enters the room telling Shango she wants to give him something he can always remember her by, and hands him her ear. 

What struck me the most about the story was Oya’s deceitfulness towards Ogun. She was willing to risk the love a man who truly cared about her, for a player who was getting around with other girls. It somewhat bothered me also that she felt the immense need to become pregnant, and was willing to do it with practically anyone that do the job. What compelled me the most about the performance was a combination of the african dance and the music. The addition of the tribal dances and instruments created an exciting tone from the very beginning of the play, until the end. It added a very interesting flare to the already fast paced script. 

I don’t really have any critics for the play. The performance overall covered all the aspects that a play should, and performed them well. This was not my first time seeing a live theatre performance, but it was the first time being front row and being that close to the actors. At first, being in the front row seemed a little daunting, but as the play went on, it helped to pull me into the play and added to the experience. I have seen many live theatre plays, but this was probably one of the most intense plays I’ve attended.