Overview
Veralynn Jackson knows hair, her neighborhood, and she also knows that the invention of the Jheri Curl marks the end of the world… or at least a career shift. When she takes a job in Mr. Kim’s Korean-owned Black beauty supply store, she’s in her element, until the posters start talking to her. For Mr. Kim, closed off by what he’s left behind to be in the U.S., the last thing he wants is this nosy new employee prodding him to expose old wounds. Their eventual friendship opens a door for each of them to reclaim their lost art.
Casting & Production
Casting
VERALYNN JACKSON – 42, F. African-American. Long-time resident of this neighborhood. Knows a little something about hair.
MR. KIM – 50, M. Korean immigrant. Business owner. Lives somewhere else.
JHERI REDDING – 72, M. White. Born Robert William Redding. Hairdresser, chemist, inventor of The Jheri Curl. Lives in a poster.
LORRAINE – 30, F. African-American. Female model on all the packaging for the S Curl. Lives in the same poster hugged up with Marvin. Would like to kill him one day. Also plays MUSHROOM.
MARVIN – 30, M. African-American. Male model sporting the exact same S Curl as Lorraine. Uses way more activator. Also wants out of this arrangement. Also plays AFRO MAN.
Setting
Place
Jeffery Manor Beauty Supply, in the all-Black neighborhood ofJeffery Manor on the South Side of Chicago.
Time
Spring 1979 through Fall 1982.
Reviews
“That these two characters find and clear some ground together, despite the assumptions imposed on them from outside, is the kind of miracle you can’t put in a bottle.”
—Rob Weinert-Kendt, American Theatre Magazine
“Magical realism, race relations, and a heartfelt story all in one, THE GREAT JHERI CURL DEBATE by Inda Craig-Galván packs an emotional punch, while still leaving room for plenty of quirkiness and wit.”
—Julia Stier, Stage Raw
