For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf

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"Ever since I realized there was someone called a colored girl, or an evil woman, a bitch, or a nag, I've been trying not to be that, and leave bitterness in someone else's cup." —Juanita (Lady in Green)

A 1975 stage play by Ntozake Shange, For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf eventually went on to become one of the most acclaimed works of African-American literature. In 2010, the film version, with its title shortened to its first three words, was released. Tyler Perry wrote, directed and produced the film, which stars an All-Star Cast of prominent African-American women.

The play itself is called a "choreopoem," a collection of 20 poems starring seven different women, each referred to by a color. Each woman has a story to tell: from domestic violence, to abortion, and rape. In the end, the seven women come together for "a laying on of hands."

Tropes used in For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf include:

• Adaptation Expansion
• All-Star Cast: The film version has, among others, Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson and Anika Noni Rose.
• Group Hug: At the end of the movie.
• Long Title
• Not Screened for Critics: Averted with the film version; critics have seen it, and the response is quite negative.
• Rape as Backstory: Tangie was sexually abused by her father
• Soundtrack Dissonance: Beautiful opera music to the violent rape scene.