Poetry and dance explore black womanhood in The Words She Gave Me. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)

Reminds us of: for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf meets an India.Arie version of Lemonade.

Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic?: Fine.

Incorrectly labeled as a solo performance on the Capital Fringe website, this multimedia production neither features a single woman nor tells just one woman’s story. Six performers and a two-woman band craft this narrative of sisterhood, identity, and self-love. Insightful poetry speaks to vulnerability, anger, sadness, joy, and strength as each actress delivers a monologue establishing and often wrestling with her identity as a black woman.

Moving modern dance numbers choreographed by Candace Foreman demonstrate how female relationships shape these views. The movement-heavy partner work is engaging, but often recalls a college showcase; music breaks would be stronger in smaller bites, as the simple melodies and lyrics quickly grow tedious. But the duo goes all in, singing and switching between drums, keyboard, electric and acoustic guitar. The spoken aspects are by far the strongest, helped along by the cast members who deliver them, albeit some much more convincingly than others.

Playwright, director and musician Solia Bickersteth’s largest and most intensive project to date is ambitious as it is beautiful. Simultaneously amateurish, authentic, and sincere, the production helps start a conversation about black womanhood with a talented cast and a creative, honest approach informed by personal experience.

Where to See It: Atlas Performing Arts Center on July 13 at 10 p.m., July 15 at1:30 p.m., July 16 at 6 p.m., and July 22 at 9:45 p.m. Buy tickets here.

See here for all of DCist’s 2017 Capital Fringe coverage. All shows are $17, with a button ($7) required for entry.