The Hair Shop Review: Black Femininity Through A Contemporary Lens
Tirza Sey praises a funny yet edifying exploration of black femininity mixed with the nostalgia of a traditional afro-hair salon in this student-written play.
Image by Imani Shea
The Hair Shop follows a trio, Emma (Ruthie Adewle), Hodan (Destiny Charles) and Chloe (Ayeley Hudson), as they venture in and out of the hair shop, navigating their way through friendships, romance, and grief. It is sprinkled with humour - a special shout-out must be given to Destiny Charles’ great comedic timing - and Idara James’ amusingly accurate portrayal as an instagram hairdresser.
The interconnection between a mother/daughter relationship and hair was a prevalent theme within the play. Sitting on the floor with her hair being braided, Emma and her mother (played by Akua Addo-Yobo) had frequent, tender conversations about mental health and her bereaved brother, Kofi. Another touching moment was Chloe’s speech - she described how she used to feel so ‘perfect and palatable’ when her mum would do her hair before passing away. James also played her role as the hair shop owner with a touch of maternity, watching over and supporting the three girls, particularly Chloe, in their times of need. Another duo to mention is that of Emma and Ife (Noel Dawit). The awkwardness between the two of them perfectly emulated a typical teenage relationship, endearing us to them.
A particular stand-out was Kayden Best, in her role as Naomi - her opinionated, argumentative, and confident demeanour persists throughout the show. Yet, there are moments when the audience sees her facade slightly crack. This was poignantly demonstrated in her rant to Bella (Aoife McGrath) about her boyfriend Josh (Musharaff Adetunji) failing to make her feel secure in their relationship. Her character, performed brilliantly by Best, demonstrates how the most vivacious people can often feel the most insecure.
Unfortunately, the latter part of the play became convoluted, with the script lacking a concrete plot. We journey through what we assume is a wake for Emma’s brother. Despite these ambiguities, this scene produced one of the most authentically raw points of the play. Emma’s eulogy, delivered beautifully by Adewle, was heartbreaking yet nostalgic, paying proper homage to her sibling. As someone who had a brother, I was touched when listening to her reminisce about their time together, and how, despite never saying it, she loved and looked up to him.
A combination of first-show jitters and unfamiliarity with certain cues resulted in the play being slow-paced, with the script itself slightly lacking in nuance. While throughout the play there was some discourse surrounding colourism (bias against an individual’s skin tone) and texturism (discrimination against non-European hair textures), the discussions at times felt somewhat rushed and forced. However, credit must be given to the writer, Akua Frimpong, for attempting to grapple with topical issues prevalent within the Black community. It filled me with nostalgia, reminding me of the many hours I would spend in the salons, with my hair being plaited and aunties gossiping around me. Most notably, it was refreshing to watch an array of new actors on the Corpus stage with such potential and undeniable talent.
The Hair Shop is on at the Corpus Playroom until the 25th November.