Colors Straight Up

Founded by bearlike character actor Phil Simms, Living Literature/Colors United spreads the message that kids from the ghetto and the barrio can find better outlets for their energy and frustration than vice or violence. Mostly black and Hispanic, students of Colors United must discard all street-gang regalia and attitudes to take part in dance and drama. They must also faithfully attend their regular junior-high and high-school classes. Unsurprisingly, Simms uses Shakespeare's tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (and its modern incarnation West Side Story) as his focus. The work not only addresses the turf wars that plague South Central LA, but also provides a sense of romance, pageantry, and self-esteem for the novice actors. In their hands it transforms into a street-savvy musical--Watts Side Story.

Cameras lock on several Colors United participants, on and off the stage. The unfailingly cheerful Michael Ford, looking younger than his 14 years, seems to be the pet of the group. LaToya Howlett complains about the constant peer pressure she feels that drives kids to gangs and guns. Her temper and rebellious nature lead to some tense confrontations with Phil during class. With her fashion-model beauty and glamorous wardrobe, Cynthia Turner idolizes Janet Jackson and goes by the nickname "Queenie," Queen of Watts. She says she couldn't join a gang; homegirls know she'd worry about mussing up her hair in a fight. As much as she resembles a sitcom creation (Dionne of CLUELESS comes to mind) Cynthia hasn't escaped the heartache of South Central; most of her family resides either in jail or rehab.

Phil Simms has a few homegrown lieutenants who help teach Colors United. Choreographer Stanley Elam grew up with a junkie mother, and during prison visits he urges brothers and half-brothers not to succumb to her legacy of addiction. Oscar Sierra, Phil's charismatic acting instructor, is still trying to come to terms with an irresponsible father and a delinquent past. When Oscar is arrested on a long-outstanding warrant, Phil uses the boy's work with Colors United to convince a judge to grant clemency. Despite such setbacks, Watts Side Story is performed successfully before an elite audience. COLORS STRAIGHT UP ends with a quote from Erasmus: "The main purpose of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth."

If subject material (not to mention the gruff-but-lovable Simms) inevitably recalls fictional counterparts, from FAME (1980) to "Welcome Back Kotter," there are some surprises here as well. The Latino families of Oscar Sierra (and classmate Norma Perez, the sixth student profiled) are socially and politically conservative, and they disdain Colors United as a waste of time that lures their children away from home to no obvious good. But for most of these kids, Colors United is home, or at least a better alternative to the druggie, dysfunctional environments that seem to turn out ever more punks, gangbangers, and homicide statistics. Director Michele Ohayon spent two years filming to make this feature, which, in its most successful moments intercuts between the make-believe violence onstage and the real thing in the 'hood (like a preacher's volcanic anger as he presides over yet another gunshot victim's funeral). There are emotional "drama therapy" sessions that blur the line between performance and reality, and more than once COLORS STRAIGHT UP challenges viewer perceptions of what is going on. Anyone could have let a camera run and recorded some cathartic fits for posterity, but Ohayon assembles her chronicle with evident care, empathy, and affection. The ultimate sense of triumph in Watts Side Story is persuasive.

A postscript notes the success of Colors United in keeping Los Angeles high-school and junior-high students active and out of trouble. LaToya Howlett went on to a supporting role in the short-lived network TV series based on the theatrical feature DANGEROUS MINDS (1995). COLORS STRAIGHT UP won several awards, including the Cine Golden Eagle, a Silver Award from the Chicago International Film Festival, and a 1997 Academy Award nomination. (Adult situations.) leave a comment