Alaiyo Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...“Alaiyo” is billed as a choreopoem, a term coined by Ntozake Shange to describe her work “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf,” which premiered in 1976. The loosely defined genre often incorporates elements of poetry, dance and music. Directed by McKenzie Chinn and choreographed by Victor Musoni, “Alaiyo” draws on this tradition while explicitly engaging with another seminal work by a Black American playwright — Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.”"

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Unfortunately Watson’s writing relies too heavily on this particular device, creating two drawbacks. One, the audience is set at a remove, attention split between watching the play intellectually, part of the brain working overtime to identify and dissect every reference, every allusion, every bit of symbolism and alliteration, etc., leaving little opportunity for silence, reflection, and full absorption of emotional impact. The other is that profound conclusions and parallels are often spoonfed and repeated ad nauseam, the text desperately overexplaining and pleading, like Ariel, to not be misunderstood. The play is telling a story instead of being a story."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended

"...Playwright Micah Ariel Watson, who has a web series called Black Enough, brings that enchanting story of Alaiyo (One for Whom Bread and Food is not enough), teaching us to strive above assimilating but find the true meaning of life within. Patrick Newson Jr. was great as Kofi; however, Felicia Oduh's enthralling personality and outstanding performance made Alaiyo a play that anyone should bring their daughters who struggle with finding their self-worth. Oduh's delightful curiosity and youthful desire to love and be loved pull you into the story, capturing your soul with each line."