Jaja's African Hair Braiding
| Jaja's African Hair Braiding | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jocelyn Bioh |
| Date premiered | 2023 |
| Place premiered | Manhattan Theatre Club |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | Harlem, Present Day |
Jaja's African Hair Braiding is a 2023 comedic play written by American playwright Jocelyn Bioh. The play premiered on Broadway as part of the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2023–2024 season.[1][2]
Synopsis
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding in Harlem is a salon full of funny, whip-smart, talented women ready to make you look and feel nice-nice. Every day, a lively and eclectic group of West African immigrant hair braiders are creating masterpieces on the heads of neighborhood women. On this particularly muggy summer day, Jaja’s rule-following daughter Marie is running the shop while her mother prepares for her courthouse, green-card wedding—to a man no one seems to particularly like. Just like her mother, Dreamer Marie is trying to secure her future; she’s just graduated high school and all she wants to do is go to college. While Marie deals with the customers’ and stylists’ laugh-out-loud drama, news pierces the hearts of the women of the salon, galvanizing their connections and strengthening the community they have longed to make in the United States. The uncertainty of their circumstances simmers below the surface of their lives and when it boils over, it forces this tight-knit community to confront what it means to be an outsider on the edge of the place they call home.[2][3]
Original cast and characters
| Character | Broadway (2023)[4] |
|---|---|
| Jaja | Somi Kakoma |
| Miriam | Brittany Adebumola |
| Jennifer | Rachel Christopher |
| Ndidi | Maechi Aharanwa |
| Aminata | Nana Mensah |
| Marie | Dominique Thorne |
| Bea | Zenzi Williams |
| Chrissy/Michelle/LaNiece | Kalyne Coleman |
| Vanessa/Radia/Sheila | Lakisha May |
| James/Sock Man/DVD Man/Jewelry Man | Michael Oloyede |
Production history
The play premiered on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on October 3, 2023, with previews starting September 12. The play closed on November 19, 2023, after 56 performances. The show extended twice from its original end date and offered live streams of the show for the final week of performances.[5] The play was directed by Whitney White and was commissioned by the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018. Among the producers of the show are LaChanze and Taraji P. Henson.[6]
Following the Broadway production, the show launched a tour beginning in September 2024 at Arena Stage in Washington D.C., Berkeley Repertory Theatre in November 2024, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater in January 2025.[7] It will also make its New England premiere at SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston in May 2025. [8]
Awards and nominations
Broadway
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 |
Tony Awards | Best Play | Jocelyn Bioh | Nominated | [9] |
| Best Direction of a Play | Whitney White | Nominated | |||
| Best Scenic Design of a Play | David Zinn | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design of a Play | Dede Ayite | Won | |||
| Best Sound Design of a Play | Stefania Bulbarella and Justin Ellington | Nominated | |||
| Special Tony Award | Nikiya Mathis (Hair and Wig Design) | Won | |||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Play | Jocelyn Bioh | Nominated | [10] | |
| Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Brittany Adebumola | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Wig and Hair Design | Nikiya Mathis | Won | |||
| Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Jocelyn Bioh | Nominated | [9] | |
| Outstanding Direction of a Play | Whitney White | Nominated | |||
| Distinguished Performance | Zenzi Williams | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Jocelyn Bioh | Nominated | [9] | |
| Outstanding Costume Design | Dede Ayite | Nominated |
References
- ^ Aramide Tinubu (4 October 2023). "'JaJa's African Hair Braiding' Review: Broadway Show On Black Spaces". variety.com. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ a b "Dramatists Play Service: Jaja's African Hair Braiding". dramatists.com. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Maya (13 November 2023). "2023/11/13/theater/jajas-african-hair-braiding-black-women". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ Playbill 2023 Bio Cast List accessed 2024-03-23.
- ^ "How to watch 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding' at home: live stream details for final week of shows". Mashable. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ Greg Evans (25 July 2023). "LaChanze, Taraji P. Henson Join 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding' Broadway Producing Team". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ "Broadway's Jaja's African Hair Braiding Is Going on Tour". Playbill.com. 9 April 2024.
- ^ https://speakeasystage.com/shows/2025/05/jajas-african-hair-braiding/
- ^ a b c "Playbill: Jaja's African Hair Braiding". Playbill.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (10 June 2024). "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards With 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play". Playbill.com. Retrieved 11 June 2024.