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Jaja First Look 1200x450
Jaja First Look 1200x450

First Look: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding Opens on Broadway

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, the new Broadway play written by Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play) and directed by Whitney White (Our Dear Dead Drug Lord), officially opens Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Take a look at production photos from the play, which recently extended its run through Sunday, November 5.

The cast of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding features Brittany Adebumola (The Other Black Girl), Maechi Aharanwa (The Misanthrope), Rachel Christopher (for colored girls who have considered suicide/…), Kalyne Coleman (So Help Me Todd), Somi Kakoma (Dreaming Zenzile), Lakisha May (Skeleton Crew), Nana Mensah (Presumed Innocent), Michael Oloyede (Inanimate), Dominique Thorne (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), and Zenzi Williams (Mobile Unit of Henry V).

This dazzling world premiere welcomes you into Jaja’s bustling hair braiding shop in Harlem where every day, a lively and eclectic group of West African immigrant hair braiders are creating masterpieces on the heads of neighborhood women. During one sweltering summer day, love will blossom, dreams will flourish and secrets will be revealed. The uncertainty of their circumstances simmers below the surface of their lives and when it boils over, it forces this tight-knit community to confront what it means to be an outsider on the edge of the place they call home. This extraordinary new play is by the award-winning Ghanaian-American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play) and will be directed by Obie winner Whitney White (Our Dear Dead Drug Lord).

Check out the new photos below.


Brittany Adebumola and Dominique Thorne in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Brittany Adebumola and Dominique Thorne in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Nana Mensah, Dominique Thorne, and Somi Kakoma in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Nana Mensah, Dominique Thorne, and Somi Kakoma in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Nana Mensah, Michael Oloyede, Maechi Aharanwa, and Lakisha May in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Nana Mensah, Michael Oloyede, Maechi Aharanwa, and Lakisha May in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Kalyne Coleman and Maechi Aharanwa in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Kalyne Coleman and Maechi Aharanwa in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Michael Oloyede and Nana Mensah in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Michael Oloyede and Nana Mensah in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Lakisha May and Nana Mensah in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Lakisha May and Nana Mensah in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Nana Mensah, Lakisha May, Maechi Aharanwa, and Kalyne Coleman in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Nana Mensah, Lakisha May, Maechi Aharanwa, and Kalyne Coleman in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Kalyne Coleman and Maechi Aharanwa in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Kalyne Coleman and Maechi Aharanwa in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Rachel Christopher and Zenzi Williams in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Rachel Christopher and Zenzi Williams in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Brittany Adebumola and Dominique Thorne in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Brittany Adebumola and Dominique Thorne in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Learn More About Jaja’s African Hair Braiding