Review of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding on Broadway

Every time I go to New York City for work, I try to see a minimum of three shows when there. I put aside a big part of my budget to see shows, and I don’t like spending a ton of money and wearing myself thin because of how limited my time is when I am in the city.

This trip, I only booked three shows because I knew I was going to be working at the New York Film Festival a good chunk of the week, which has left me with my hands tied. But I knew I wanted to see Jaja’s African Hair Braiding when I looked at the comprehensive list of shows playing in NYC at the time, and I booked my ticket through TDF in advance.

Through TDF, I paid $52 and was given an orchestra seat in Row F, right near the aisle. I was about four or five seats towards the middle of the section, and I thought this was such a good view.

I was shocked though at how tiny this theater was, and I think there probably isn’t really a bad seat in the house because of how small it is. Before the show, I made a friend with the lady next to me, and we eagerly watched when the lights began to dim and the show started.

Here’s my review!

In Harlem, the stories of the women working in an African hair shop collide.

The story of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding is approximately ninety minutes, and there is no intermission. It went by really quick if we’re going to be honest, and I thought the decision to not break it up is wise.

We’re first introduced to Marie, a high school graduate whose mother, Jaja, owns the African hair braiding salon in Harlem. They employ several women in their midst, all of whom are from Africa, with varying degrees of being in the United States when it comes to length.

Over the course of these ninety minutes, the playwright weaves together drama and many different themes to show how these women are all struggling in the United States. Marie is contrasted to one of her wealthier classmates who never goes to Harlem, while one of the hair braiders has moved from Sierra Leone and left behind her daughter, mother, and a lover.

The two older women in the shop are dealing with a marriage and the lack thereof, as well as drama within the shop. The final member of the shop is a Nigerian woman whose place burned down, and Jaja allowed her to work for her in the meantime.

Their stories are teased out not only through their interactions with each other, but the customers as well. A wide variety of customers appear throughout the course of the play, and whether they want to do these girl’s hair or not, they end up doing it.

We see jealously from some characters over the lack of clients coming her way, and get insight into Jaja, who is going to get married later in the play to Steven, a white man who is finally going to be the reason she gets her green card. Neither Jaja or Marie have a green card or citizenship, as well as the other women, which puts their situations into a dangerous category if something happens.

And something does happen towards the end of the play, which I think can be divisive depending on who’s watching the production. I thought the first half of this play was absolutely brilliant in terms of storytelling, dialogue, and showcasing who these characters are.

But when the major twist happens about 3/4 into the play, I felt like I was getting whiplash and that it was a major tonal shift that didn’t fit into what the play was building up beforehand. I had guessed earlier something was going to happen in this way and it did, but that ending was seriously pretty abrupt in my book.

The set on this production is pretty minimal, as it almost entirely takes place inside of the hair braiding shop. We only have a scene or two outside of it.

But if we’re going to talk technical elements, the acting y’all. I was so impressed with every single person involved with acting in this shop, especially the girl who played Marie.

I found out later she was in Black Panther, but I told my boss after the show that I thought this girl was going to have an extensive theatrical career after seeing her on that stage. All of these women have really good shots, but she stood out to me the most.

Overall Thoughts

This show has such a short run, so if you’re reading this and seeing it as your chance to go see the show, absolutely do it.

We should always support shows like these that don’t have a long shelf life on Broadway, and while the Manhattan Theatre Club is a nonprofit space that does take more of these risks, we need to show the theater world that our dollars count when it comes to what we want to see.

I thought this was such a good show outside of its ending, and while that knocked some points out my book, I still think people should go see it. It’s an experience.

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