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Video: Go Inside Opening Night of JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING
May 16, 2024
It's been a big week at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, where MTC just celebrated opening night of Jaja's African Hair Braiding, written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the special occasion and you can go inside the festivities with Richard Ridge in this video.
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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The latest from Manhattan Theater Club is the world premiere of Jocelyn B.O's new comedy
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Jhajaws African Hair Braiding, which is directed by Whitney White. And we're here on opening night to celebrate with the company
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You're about to make your Broadway debut. Oh, my goodness. Hello, everyone. I am here
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I'm coming out. I want to run. Is that how it goes
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Well, that's what I'm doing here. I'm coming out. It is a Broadway debut, and I couldn't be more thrilled than to make it in Jaja's African hair braiding
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written by Jocelyn B.O. And directed by Whitney White. It feels incredible
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This is, like, unbelievable, world premiere on Broadway. That never, ever, ever happened
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So I'm really, really grateful tonight. I don't know how we got this lucky. It's really a, like, heat-seeking missile crew of people
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Like, they just find the comedy and snatch it and snatch it. and snatch it. And it's incredible what they've been able to do in these really kind of short time period
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You know, I don't write easy plays, you know. It feels that way because you're having a good time
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But that comedy, that cute pickup, that is something that's really, really important
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And these people work so hard. So I'm just thrilled to be here tonight and celebrate their hard work as well
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It the most incredible company of people I worked with in a very long time And as much love and warmth as there is on stage there triple that backstage And so that been very filling for me
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Collaborating with Jocelyn, what that's been like being in rehearsal room again
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with actors all over again. I mean, Jocelyn B.O. is the goat
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She's one of the greatest that we have. She's delivering so much for all of us
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It's just fabulous to be in space with her. She's excellent. She's one of the best
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And she's also just a wonderful person. to be around. I feel so grateful. Just full of emotion, thinking about all of the sacrifice that all of us
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have made, thinking about the extraordinary women that we're up here to represent, thinking about our
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families, thinking about just the journey, so grateful. I'm overjoyed. I've been sitting in such a
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deep pocket of gratitude, honestly. I'm truly, I feel so sensitive on this day. Because the place
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that I began my journey as an actor is literally across the street. the professional performing arts school
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And so to be making my debut across the road and to be telling this story as the child of immigrants
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on the Broadway stage, it's so, so humbling. It's chilling, honestly. So I am so grateful
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What's made this so special for you? Truly, I think it's the thought that my nieces and nephews
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can come and see this show and see themselves, the thought that black women everywhere can really recognize the shop recognize these people and that this is a story that can speak to everyone I love this cast This crew is phenomenal
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It's complete magic. And I'm so excited. The people. I have been in community with a lot of these people for a long time
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Whitney and I are longtime collaborators. Kaelin and I met in graduate school
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There's a lot of love going around in this room. And there's a lot of love going around in this room
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story and so it's excellent, exciting for all of that to sort of meld, lift, and be able to share
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it with the greater community of New York City. Oh my gosh, so many things
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One, that it's my Broadway debut. Two, that I get to make my Broadway debut on this production featuring so many West African characters
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My dad is Nigerian, so I'm just blessed to represent this part of my culture
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I grew up in New York City. This play is about New York City. I'm surrounded by beautiful black women who are incredible artists
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and a beautiful black man who's also an incredible artist. It's just, it all feels divine
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Man, what's made this so special has been, like, being surrounded by all of these black women
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and our black man, Michael. Shout on to Michael. And then doing this show, that's about how we make ourselves beautiful
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how we beautify ourselves in a world that sometimes doesn always accept us even when we looking glorious in love You know what I mean And so it just feels good to be doing that for you know 600 people every night sometimes twice a day And to feel the joy it on stage
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to feel the laughter from the audience. It's just a blessing. What's made this special
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Working with this cast, working with Jocelyn, working with Whitney, who I've known for years and whose work I've admired
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and to just be able to be in a room to create this world premiere
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story that's never been told before on a Broadway stage. I'm Nigerian, so telling a story about people that I know on Broadway today is a dream
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So, yeah. All of you have the audience eating out of the palm of your hands
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That must feel so special. It does. It does, especially having come out of this, come out of COVID and Broadway being back
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It actually feels good to hear that there's actually healing happening in the audience
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that we're able to laugh together, come to see. together for an hour and a half and people leave really joy-filled. Yeah
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Oh, man, it's so wonderful that audiences have received the play the way that they have
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People are blown away. I think, especially New Yorkers, walk by hair-bredding shops every single day and have no idea
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about the fullness of the lives lived inside. So I think this play is really doing some, it's doing amazing creative work, it's doing
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great social justice work, it's doing it all
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