A Visit to Jaja’s African Hair Braiding Salon Brings Non-Stop Hilarity at Arena Stage

Full Disclosure: I have never experienced the mysterious realm of an African hair braiding salon. In this comedy, the employees of Jaja’s salon come Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria – a veritable polyglot of personalities. That’s the frame.

The larger story here plays out in the sisterhood of these braiders – their shared struggles, their families, their dreams and how they strive to keep it together against all odds, some of those odds being the men in their lives. As immigrants – some are legal, some not – all are vulnerable, hardworking and super street stylish.

Groundbreaking, Ghanaian American playwright Jocelyn Bioh invites us to enter this wildly hilarious immigrant microcosm situated in one small, candy-colored, Harlem-centric salon. I’m hooked. The audience is hooked too. Many nodding and laughing with the recognition of the perils and pleasures of locs, twists, box braids, cornrows, spiraled ends and all manner of intricate braiding styles. (N. B. There is actual braiding going on during the play.)

Conflicts and professional jealousies clash in this small space. Stealing clients is definitively a no-no. How the politics and precarious balance of these fraught relationships work, is a mystery to me. Yet within this glorious bird’s eye view of a Black hair salon lies humor – tons of it – and that proves to be the glue to secure the ladies’ camaraderie as well as the braids.

Jaja (Victoire Charles) is the glamorous owner of this petite enclave. She enters like a queen oozing style and spunk in equal measure. We don’t meet her until the second act, but her essence hangs over the salon where her daughter, college valedictorian Marie (Jordan Rice), manages the day-to-day operation. There’s Miriam (Bisserat Tseggai) fighting for her new-found identity; Aminata (Tiffany Renee Johnson) who caves to her abusive husband but stands up for Bea (Awa Sal Secka), and Ndidi (Aisha Sougou) who is a temporary hire until her own salon can be rebuilt. Ndidi’s talents more in demand than Bea’s which fires up Bea, the pot-stirrer, giving her yet another reason to start a fight. She’s a regular gladiator swiping and posturing and throwing her weight around the salon, bent on intimidating everyone. Jennifer (Mia Ellis) is Miriam’s client for the day. A sober-minded journalist who’s never had braids before and is clueless how long the process takes. “I feel like I’ve moved in for the day!” she exclaims. She has.

The four stylists and a few of their clients, bicker, tease and diss each other, although they all seem inured to the back-and-forth verbal jousting. I’m content to be far away from the claws and paws. I’ll take it as normal, a snapshot of a braiding salon. Is it called a “salon”? No matter. It’s wildly entertaining. So is the shop’s TV on which runs soap operas from Africa and snippets of Beyoncé’s music videos. It’s complicated, also non-stop hilarious. The audience is falling out of their seats laughing.

What results is a kaleidoscope of zany bits – heightened and condensed into a wonderland of characters. It seems I’ve gone down a rabbit hole and I like it. It’s impossible to single out any one actor in the cast, because each one is superb, as are those playing the clientele whose entrances and exits are as surprising as their crazy, well-drawn characters.

Highly recommended! Could there be a sequel?

With Melanie Brezill as Michelle/Chrissy/LaNiece; Yao Dogbe as James/Franklin; Colby N. Muhammad as Vanessa/Sheila/Radia.

Directed by Whitney White, Set Design by David Zinn, Costume Design by Dede Ayite, Lighting Design by Jiyoun Chang, Original Music and Sound Design by Justin Ellington, Video Design by Stefania Bubarella, Hair and Wig Design by Nikiya Mathis, Dialect and Vocal Coach Yetunde Felix-Ukwu.

Through October 13^th at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.