“For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf” is innovative and captivating.

The play, presented by the MSU Department of Theatre, ran Thursday through Sunday and continues this weekend.

Don’t be scared away by the title, this play is not just “for colored girls who have considered suicide.” It’s for anybody that can appreciate creative writing and talented storytelling.

The title is intimidating. It makes the play sound depressing and intellectual. It is, but it’s also entertaining.

There’s poetry, there’s music and there’s storytelling.

The play has seven actresses, each wearing a different color. They all have distinct characteristics, and together they address the many sides of a young black woman living in urban settings.

The script by Ntozake Shange is well written, which is why it’s been so popular since the mid-’70s. But the great part about this production is the actresses and the life they bring to their parts.

When the cast broke into song, many of them were enthusiastic, but a few of the actresses lacked vigor and seemed to have trouble loosening up.

Misty Handy, who plays the lady in brown, starts off by exploring who she is. She has poise and is very articulate. Her recollections of childhood are engaging and cute. Handy manages to convey a sense of giddy excitement to the audience.

As the lady in yellow, LaToya Brown seemed very real. She told stories about high school as if they actually happened to her, complete with body language.

Because the Arena Theatre in the Auditorium has seats on all four sides of the stage, it was sometimes difficult to hear the actresses when they faced in the other direction. Still, the four-sided stage worked very well for this production because of its nontraditional format.

The cast did a good job of bringing emotion to the roles. The lady in blue (Brandi Walker) recounted her experience with rape. “A friend is hard to press charges against,” she said in the production.

At one point, the lady in purple (Laura Turner), narrated while the lady in green (Maggie Désir) acted out the story. Facing each other, they made a really neat mirror effect as they make the same movements opposite the other.

Each character faces different troubles in the life of a young black woman. Although it takes place several decades ago, the themes are timeless.

For someone who’s not black and not female, this play gives a good look not at the issues the characters had to deal with, but the complexities of those issues.

The lady in red (Ginneh Thomas), for example, is a sexy flirt by night, but when morning comes, she’s just another girl, tired and worn from supporting “would-be horn players.” She held the stage well on her own telling a story about a tense encounter with the father of her children. The story was so intense that when she reached the crux, the audience collectively gasped.

As far as weekend entertainment goes, this play has a lot more to offer than a movie, and it’s definitely worth seeing.

Shows are Thursday through Sunday. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5.