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A DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE TITLE
Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 9w, 1m
Jocelyn Bioh
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding in Harlem teems with a vibrant community of Black craftswomen ready to make you look nice-nice. They all shine with lived-in warmth and detail in Jocelyn Bioh’s charming play.
Image: 2023 Manhattan Theatre Club Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
Winner! Two 2024 Tony Awards Nominee: Four 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Play Nominee: Two 2024 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play
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.
Centered on a community of vibrant Black craftswomen, all of whom shine with lived-in warmth and well-observed qualities, Jocelyn Bioh’s Tony-nominated play tells these women’s stories with delicacy and dignity. A show for anyone who’s ever had braids or wondered about the stories of these pillars of the Black community.
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding premiered on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on 3 October 2023 under the direction of Whitney White.
JAJA – 40s+. Senegalese; owner of the shop. The backbone and/or saving grace of everyone in the shop. Getting married today in city hall to Steven, the landlord of a local building. MARIE – 18. Jaja’s daughter who runs the shop for her mother; has a lot of weight on her young shoulders because of her circumstances. Secretly wants to be a writer and has a fun and silly side but is firm and assertive when needed – especially with the women in the shop. BEA (pronounced “Bee”) – 40s. Ghanaian; has been at the shop the longest; the neighborhood gossip with an unpredictable attitude – she seems addicted to causing drama... but is rarely ever wrong. MIRIAM – early to mid-20s. Sierra Leonean; very kind and seemingly quiet on the surface but has a fierce spirit underneath her shell; loves the idea of love and is the epitome of an optimist. AMINATA – 30s. Senegalese; fun, sexy and charming. She loves her job and is good at it but also loves to hang out at the shop as well. The shop is both her job and her favorite place to be social. Has a tumultuous and passionate marriage; Bea’s sidekick in gossip and drama when necessary. NDIDI (pronounced “IN-Dee-Dee”) – Late 20s/early 30s. Nigerian; the young spitfire; she dresses the youngest and braids the fastest. Everyone at the shop knows that she makes the most money and that doesn’t always go over well with everyone – namely Bea. JENNIFER – 20s. Black American; aspiring journalist; comes to the shop wanting to get micro braids and is in the shop all day; incredibly patient and caring. VANESSA – 30s. Super rude customer that no one wants to deal with. Also plays SHEILA – 30s. The friendly but loud-talking businesswoman. She enjoys a little gossip like the next person. Also plays RADIA (pronounced like “Nadia”) – 18ish. One of Marie’s former classmates. MICHELLE – 20s. The nervous client who doesn’t want trouble and just wants to get her hair done peacefully. Also plays CHRISSY – 30s. Really wants braids that will “make her look like Beyoncé.” Also plays LANIECE – 20s. A regular at the shop; works as a DJ so she always gets funky braid styles. She likes to have a good time and loves a good meal. JAMES – 30s. Ghanaian; Aminata’s on-again, off-again husband who clearly takes advantage of her. Also plays FRANKLIN, THE SOCK MAN – 30s. Black American; quick-talking and friendly neighborhood salesman just trying to make a living. Also plays OLU, THE JEWELRY MAN – 30s. Nigerian; a shy, honest man just trying to make a living; has a bit of a crush on Ndidi. Also plays ERIC, THE DVD MAN – 30s. Senegalese; the caring DVD man who looks out for his friends.
All characters are of Black American and/or West African descent and are to be played by Black actors.
A hair braiding shop in Harlem off 125th Street. A very hot day in July 2019.
“Wickedly entertaining… a sparkling ensemble comedy as tautly woven as one of the intricate hairdos in Jaja’s Harlem salon.” – Washington Post
“Bioh pays tribute to the bonds women share... You will be entertained, enlightened and moved.” – New York Amsterdam News
“Hot and hilarious… a riotously funny workplace comedy.” – The New York Times
“Bristling with wit and drama.” – The Daily Beast
“Bioh breathes both joy and grief into these women within her stellar script, giving them each their own distinct personalities and lived-in experiences… The result is a play that is equally as affecting as it is hilarious.” – Entertainment Weekly
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – 2024 Tony Award Nominee
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – Interview with the Director and Playwright
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – Trailer
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – Audience Responses
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – Micro Braids Scene
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – Customer Service Scene
Jocelyn Bioh is an award-winning, Tony Award-nominated Ghanaian-American writer and performer from New York City. Broadway: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (5 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play); Off-Broadway: Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park: Merry Wives; MCC The ...