‘My great granny always said, ‘If you want to know a black woman, you touch her hair.’ She said that is where we carry everything – our hopes, our dreams, our pain.’
— Novelette in ‘da Kink in my Hair
A hit play has put textured hair in the spotlight from coast to coast.
‘ ‘Da Kink in My Hair,’ based on comedian Trey Anthony’s book of the same name, connects women’s kinks and curls to their life experiences.
Set in a West Indian hair salon in Toronto, ‘ ‘da Kink In My Hair’ gives voice to a group of women who recount their stories. In the collection of monologues mixed with music, salon owner Novelette can read customers’ hair, which tell tales of betrayal, abuse, even murder. Novelette’s touch also brings each woman closer to realignment and self-acceptance.
The play originally debuted in 2001 at the Toronto Fringe Festival. ‘ ‘da Kink’ has broken box office records and attracted diverse audiences. Critics have hailed it as the ‘Pick of the Fringe’ — an honor of excellence bestown upon productions.
In 2002 ‘ ‘da Kink’ was restaged for Harbourfront Center’s Black History Festival where it sold out in every single performance again. It was later invited to participate in the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival and then invited again in 2004 by NBC to be featured in a PSNBC showcase. It has played to audiences around the country, recently traveling to San Diego Repertory Theatre.
