Jaja's African Hair Braiding

by Jocelyn Bioh

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. 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.

Genres: Plays

68 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, rounded down.

Nominated for six Tony Awards last year (and winning two - for Best Hair & Make-up and Costume), this could be unfairly dismissed as just a black version of Steel Magnolias. And though superficially similar, detailing the trials and tribulations of a group of beauticians in the titular establishment, it also carves out its own path combining comedy and drama, and telling some Trump-era home truths not operational at the time of the former.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/th...
https://variety.com/2023/legit/review...
https://ew.com/theater/theater-review...
https://www.vulture.com/2023/10/theat...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/broadwa...
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD8Iu...

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lively and entertaining with interesting characters. Not surprised to see that it's being staged often. I would have more to say, but I read it in "American Theatre" magazine several months before it was published and accepted on Goodreads.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great play. The community built between the characters felt so natural and real. it was funny, emotional, and extremely topical to what's happening today with immigration. I would love to see this performed one day.

[Jon Nadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. Shows what US immigration policies are doing to families. Politicians should be required to read this and then explain how ICE fits the teachings of Jesus.

(Spoiler: they don’t.)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this play about a group of braiders in Harlem

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be the best play I've read all year.

[Michael Galvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaja's had humor and heart, it was powerful and current. PLEASE READ THIS PLAY!