JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING Reviews

These are review that should result in people buying tickets for more than the paltry average ticket price during previews. If it and Purlie don’t sell, given their reviews — and the fact that both shows are apparently hysterically funny — then I just don’t know.

Jarethan said: "These are review that should result in people buying tickets for more than the paltry average ticket price during previews. If it and Purlie don’t sell, given their reviews — and the fact that both shows are apparently hysterically funny — then I just don’t know."

This show is not funny at all. Unlike Purlie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, Jaja drags for 70 minutes, without any coherent plot, and then the last 20 minutes we are seeing some sort of a culmination, which again goes nowhere. MTC clearly outdone themselves in terms of stage sets, costumes, wigs etc, but it's just not a good play. Very weak and painfully clichéd.

gibsons2 said: "Jarethan said: "These are review that should result in people buying tickets for more than the paltry average ticket price during previews. If it and Purlie don’t sell, given their reviews — and the fact that both shows are apparently hysterically funny — then I just don’t know."

This show is not funny at all. Unlike Purlie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, Jaja drags for 70 minutes, without any coherent plot, and then the last 20 minutes we are seeing some sort of a culmination, which again goes nowhere. MTC clearly outdone themselves in terms of stage sets, costumes, wigs etc, but it's just not a good play. Very weak and painfully clichéd."



You obviously don't agree with any of the critics, wh0 wrote quite a few rave reviews and commented in great detail on how funny it was. Several commented on the sheer joy in the audience (that was also mentioned in Purlie reviews, a rarity in the reviews I have read over the years).

We don’t see many Black women writers and directors on Broadway, so I thought it was noteworthy. It’s the Broadway debuts of these two in particular, who have been doing great work for a while.

I heard this was the first play written by a Black woman to have a world premiere on Broadway in almost 30 years.

None of this negates your opinion. I didn’t try to change your mind with what I said. I didn’t compare it to Purlie, which I haven’t seen yet. You can feel free to think what you think while so many others, including every critic, found lots of joy in this production. Congrats, all!

Updated On: 10/4/23 at 01:26 AM

I caught it last week and had many laugh out loud moments. I truly loved spending time with these ladies at the salon. I also loved the acting. I especially need to shout out to Rachel Christopher who made me laugh several times with just her facial expression.

Updated On: 10/4/23 at 08:59 AM

HeyMrMusic said:
I heard this was the first play written by a Black woman to have a world premiere on Broadway in almost 30 years"

What about incredible work of Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Suzan-Lori Parks and of course Lynn Nottage? We've been enjoying several of these uber talented black women's works in the past 3-4 years. After seeing masterpieces like Trouble In Mind, Topdog/Underdog and Sidney Brustein, along with dark, fun and amazing Clyde's, Jaja script fell really flat for me, unfortunately

I saw this tonight and I’m admittedly not the target demographic for this show (white/Hispanic, upper middle class, gay male).

I can honestly say I laughed A LOT and definitely felt a “Steel Magnolias”/“Cheers” vibe since it had a sitcom-like setup. But slice-of-life plays like this one need at least some sort of solid (key word) narrative thread to weave (no pun intended) through them. This did not really have that strong of a thread and resulted in a Hail Mary dramatic moment in the last 10 minutes that left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

The proceeding 80 minutes, however, are quite funny in ways that are both culturally specific and universal. The cast is a very skilled group of comediennes who know their way around joke deliveries, gestures, and side eye. However, the show belongs primarily to Dominique Thorne and Zenzi Williams, the latter who is giving both blustery busybody and no-nonsense maternal energy in a fabulous package.

I think it’s worth seeing for the performances and if you like a non-traditional narrative, but I personally didn’t find this show one I would return to multiple times.

Saw this on a whim yesterday afternoon and what a delight! I think I had a stupid grin on my face throughout the entire show, well until the end that is, and then I started to tear up.

The final week of performances will be live-streamed; $69 tix on sale now.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/JAJAs-AFRICAN-HAIR-BRAIDING-to-Live-Stream-Final-Week-of-Broadway-Run-20231030

That's pretty steep for a live stream. Who's paying for that? Enjoyed this play especially Zenzi Williams who was fantastic.

Broadway Flash said: "That's pretty steep for a live stream. Who's paying for that? Enjoyed this play especially Zenzi Williams who was fantastic."

I really loved this play, I wish the livestream were a little more affordable so I could recommend to the "broadway curious" people in my life. For 20-25 they might be willing to take a chance on a play they've never heard of with actors they don't know, I don't think they'll spring for $69. I'd love for livestreaming to be used as a tool to get more people interested, not just for people that already love theater that just don't live in the area.

Loved it overall, though I agree with Jordan that the ending feels a little abrupt, a little convenient –– but that's how life is sometimes. It is a fairly lightweight play up to that point (that is not a diss), I'd gladly watch a weekly sitcom just to stew with those characters.

It made me think back to all the people complaining about how critics were supposedly dismissive of CHICKEN & BISCUITS because they didn't value Black Joy (when in reality it was dismissed because that play was ineptly written). THIS is a joyful 90 minutes, brimming with life.

The cast is uniformly strong but I felt Lakisha May was a REAL find, playing 3 different customer roles in quick succession. I think we'll be seeing a lot more of her.