Laughter and tears, insult and injury; motherhood, sisterhood and the lifeblood of a neighborhood is all in a day's work at Jaja's African Hair Braiding, the eponymous Harlem salon of Jocelyn Bioh's piquant microcosmic comedy, now at Berkeley Repertory in its premiere West Coast production.
Following a passel of vibrantly drawn women, African immigrants, and Black Americans over a single day in a single setting, Bioh evokes an enormous variety of emotions and experiences.
She writes deftly, with a light touch, floating laugh-out-loud dialogue and endearing characterizations atop a smartly subliminal current of political and human rights concerns.
That undertow grows ferocious in the play's final ten minutes, abruptly swamping the comedy and pulling the show toward the dangerous, dubious waters of Theater with a Lesson to Teach Us.
Still, under Whitney White's direction, the bone-deep, precisely detailed performances of a stellar ten-actor ensemble and eye-tickling artistry of the production's design team (David Zinn, sets; Dede Ayite, costumes; Nikiya Mathis, hair and wigs; Jiyoun Chang, lighting) more than compensate for the script's didactic finale.
(photo: Ben Krantz Studio/Berkeley Rep)
An open door for open minds
On entering Peet's Theatre, audience members see a rolled-down metal security door, dimly lit at center stage. The sign above it reads "Jaja's African Hair Braiding," but to those unacquainted with such a business, or unaccustomed to spending time in an urban Black milieu, it might seem to say, "Keep Out."
Two of the play's most genial characters soon arrive. The proprietor's daughter Marie, a recent high school graduate, is bubbly, a bit anxious but ready to oversee the day's commerce.
Soft-spoken Miriam (Bisserat Tseggai) is one of four hairdressers who rent chairs from Jaja and tend to their clients here; gossiping, daydreaming, and eking out a living from early morning to after 9pm.
As the door rolls open, a funky pink beauty shop interior slides forward and literally unfolds before the audience's eyes. We're drawn in and this enclave reaches out to us. It's a pleased-to-meet-you moment, a cultural threshold crossing.
By "we" and "us" I mean the large proportion of audience members (including this writer) at the Rep and on Broadway, where this play debuted, who are white, well-to-do, and rarely, if ever, set foot in spots like Jaja's.
Women already familiar with the vibe and chatter of braiding shops will quickly acclimate to the array of accents, rapid overlapping conversations, Afropop music, and haircare vernacular that fill the show's 80 intermission-less minutes. They'll find themselves feeling reflected, represented, and honored.
Empathetic environs
It may take a little longer for others to attune to the scenario. As well it should. We may be welcomed guests, but we're on someone else's sacred ground (Even the play's four Black male characters, all played by Kevin Aoussou, seem to feel a bit out of place in this arena of female expression).
Bioh refuses to dilute her characters' specificity and authenticity, insisting that the audience tune in their rhythms, that we look and listen closely, carefully, and with respect. We may learn something, but they're not here to teach us.
From belligerent Bea (Awa Sal Secka) to dejected Aminata (Tiffany Rea Johnson) to regal, misguided Jaja herself (Victoire Charles, jaw-droppingly charismatic in her single, revelatory scene), these women's life stories — largely shared through fragments of conversation rather than stagy monologues — are as intricate and occasionally awe-inspiring as the elaborate hairstyles they create.
There are plenty of differences among the women of Jaja's, from their domestic situations to their future aspirations. But in opening up to each other, sharing space and stories, they find common ground, form resilient bonds, and begin to build a mutual support system. It's akin to what happens when theater is at its best.
'Jaja's African Hair Braiding,' through Dec. 15. $47-$139. Berkeley Repertory, Peet's Theatre, 2025 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org
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