People of Colours | Naavikaran and Grace Edward
People of Colours is an important performance that has been created by BIPOC performers and creatives behind the scenes, allowing them a stage where they can express themselves and speak on various issues that impact marginalised voices and people of colour.
People of Colours is presented by Naavikaran and Grace Edward, who also play the characters Ruhma and Noname. They’re joined by Sunday Luate-Wani and Luna Celeste as Jigileh and Lexa, and all four take us on a deep journey that combines spoken word, music and movement with truth telling and many laughs.
The story is based around the aftermath of a house party that got a little too wild, with the four housemates failing to realise they had a house inspection on the day after the party until Jigileh reminds them. The group find themselves in a race against time to clean their house, which leads them to delve into what home means to each of them. While trauma is explored, it is done in a natural way where it’s not used as a selling point. It is the story, interesting characters, the humour, and talented performances are what make it a great show.
Image: Masimba
I enjoyed how each performer brought their individual talents to the stage, along with their own cultures and personal identities. Hearing Lexi speak about Indigenous issues and the duality of living between two cultures hit me hard as someone that has at times struggled with my own identity and my connection to Wiradjuri bloodlines.
Another highlight of the show are the musical elements. I am not a big fan of musicals, but the songs worked well and were well crafted, incorporating multiple genres. They felt like they were having fun with the concept of randomly breaking into song. One of my favourite songs was performed by Jigileh, which allowed Sunday Luate-Wani to amaze us with her vocals and background in music. The musical pieces were original and written by the cast and it showed their talent as strong songwriters with the ability to harness a range of emotions in the lyrics.
The show never dragged: whether it was making us laugh with witty comedy, entertaining us with song, educating us about real issues or making us cry with heavy and emotional drama. Each line spoken, and every movement performed had a strong sense of purpose, which made it engaging.
I appreciated how each of characters were well crafted and stand out in their parts. Ruhma is like an aunt or the mother of the house, someone that can offer support and wisdom. Noname can go to some strange places, with one part involving her spiritualty and a hole in the wall. Lexi is hustling for fame and wants to live that expensive lifestyle and Jigileh at times felt like the one trying their best to keep it together and be a voice of reason when the other three get up to shenanigans. Despite their differences in backgrounds and personalities, there’s a love and care that each character has for one another and an understanding of how each person has been through experiences in life that have had an impact on them.
Image: Masimba
Other themes such as finding purpose, the feeling of being boxed in and how society can try and mould us into something completely different from our true selves were themes that stood out to me on a personal level and can be felt by many on a wider scale.
People of Colours is a show with a broad range of styles that explores complex and deep issues, and there’s a lot more to it than what I’ve wrote.. It’s something I would recommend to anyone who is BIPOC, but it can also be appreciated by people who have gone through the struggles that can come from being in a marginalised group. Ultimately, I’m also sure that anyone who is looking to be entertained by a comedic drama with musical aspects should have a blast watching this. Highly recommended.
