The following contains detailed spoilers. Please read at your own risk.
The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls is a collection of monologues and scenes exploring the often complicated relationship that women have with their hair. Three actresses bring to life many different characters in 14 vignettes. Each vignette, whether a monologue or a scene with multiple characters, can stand alone. Yet all the stories are connected in the way they shed light on stories of Black women’s hair and the impacts it has on their lives.
1. Welcome/The Audition
An actress performs a monologue welcoming the audience, and telling them how they may connect to the stories they will hear tonight. We see that she is auditioning. She tells the casting director how much she wants the part. The white casting director tells her she was great, and then asks if she could change her hair. The casting director tells the actress that they need something “ladylike” as opposed to “an afro or braids… or natural or whatever.” The casting director tells her that this could change her whole life and she wouldn’t want something so silly to stop her from getting the part, because “it’s just hair.”
2. Everyone Has A Story
The three actresses join together, lamenting the fact that hair is so much drama, and a source of frustration. They each share brief anecdotes about what their grandmothers have to say about hair in their family. They say that no matter your hair type, your class, or what you look like, everyone has a hair story.
3. Don’t Touch!
The three actresses share stories about a time their hair was touched without their permission, and the unique ways they responded.
One woman had just started a new job, and a female executive invited all of the assistants to lunch. It’s all going well, until the female executive reaches out and touches her hair, claiming she couldn’t resist. The woman whose hair was touched gets up and does the same thing to the executive, demonstrating how inappropriate it is. She is later praised by another assistant who tells her what she did was badass.
Another woman shares the time of meeting her rich, white roommate’s parents when she spent Thanksgiving with them on a yacht. At Thanksgiving dinner, her roommate’s mother touched her hair. In an attempt to “kill them with kindness,” she got up and announced to everyone that they can touch her hair because she knows Caucasian people love to do that, and she’d even be willing to walk around to give them the chance. Her roommate laughed and offered to let her touch her hair in return, making the woman realize her roommate was cooler than she thought.
The third woman tells the story of a date she went on with a successful, white male hip-hop producer. When eating dessert, he tells her she’s beautiful and then reaches out to touch her hair. Her reflexes kick in and she makes the “wax on-wax off” motion from The Karate Kid, accidentally breaking his nose. She ended up taking him to the hospital and he tells her it’s the most interesting date he’s ever been on.
These three stories are interwoven in the way they are told, and the scene ends with the three actresses imploring audiences to never touch a Black woman’s hair without her permission.
4. Dear God, It’s Me, Amaya
A young girl named Amaya prays to God for many things, among them to have “pretty hair” and be “less nappy headed,” specifically because she is being bullied by a boy named Tyrone at school, for her hair and skin color.
5. Gaby and the Wedding
Gaby tells the story of changing her hair for her wedding. She chopped it all off to prepare for their honeymoon, and loved it, but was scared to show her mother. Her mother grew up in a family where she was constantly chided for not having “good hair” and wasn’t considered beautiful because of it. When Gaby did come out with “good hair,” her grandmother and mother constantly praised her for it. So she knew chopping it all off wouldn’t be well received. But Gaby tells her mother that one of the reasons she cut her hair short is so she can look more like her mother, who she considers the most beautiful woman in the world. Despite an initial freak out, Gaby’s mother tells her she looks beautiful and she loves her.
6. Wanda and the Campaign
Wanda recounts a story of when she was dating Askari, who was running for president of the Black Graduate Student Association. They were on their way to being a Black political power couple, and Askari was even able to leverage his relationship with a Black woman over his opponent, who was dating a white woman. But things go awry when Wanda straightens her hair for an interview. Askari looks at her disgusted and tells her to leave the town hall. Later, they fight and he tells her that he was attracted to her because she embraced her authentic Black identity. She tells him that it’s her choice and her hair, and they break up. Post break-up, she gets a long blonde weave and goes to the next townhall, questioning their thoughts on hair discrimination, and then asking both candidates if they think a Black woman who chooses to straighten her hair or wear a weave is less authentically Black than anyone else. Deshaun (Askari’s opponent) gives a perfect answer that that is definitely not anyone’s place to judge, especially a man’s. Askari agrees and withdraws from the race. Wanda leaves, victorious.
7. Tracy and the trip
Tracy recounts a story. She had finally met a man she likes after many bad dating experiences, and they’re going on their first vacation together- a make or break event for couples. She goes to get her “Poetic Justice” braids so she doesn’t have to worry about her hair on the trip. Unfortunately, the braids don’t turn out like she had hoped but, what can she do? She goes on the trip and has an amazing time… until the final night. When at dinner with her boyfriend, TJ, on the last night of the trip, a waiter comes up to her with one of her jumbo box braids on his drink tray. It fell out without her noticing. Despite being the only woman with braids, and despite being the only Black couple in the whole restaurant, Tracy insists it’s not hers out of embarrassment. The waiter is confused and insists it is until T.J. sides with her and tells the waiter to find whoever it belongs to. This confirms to Tracy that T.J. is the man for her.
8. Office Politics
Ally, a young optimistic lawyer, runs into her office with her luggage. She had been about to go on a romantic trip with her partner, but she left the airport and plans to go later because she is needed at work. Sharon, an older partner at the firm, is shocked to see that Ally’s hair is in cornrows. That is always what Ally does to her hair before going on vacation. Sharon tells her that she can’t meet the partners like this because they are from an old white family and wouldn’t be okay with it. After Ally pushes back, Sharon calls her ungrateful and tells her about how she started as a receptionist and how hard she has worked to be respected and get to her position, and that she has been trying to help other young Black women like Ally do the same. She tells Ally she needs to look for another job because this indicates to her that Ally isn’t right for this position. Ally thanks Sharon for what she has done but says she is so sorry that this office has wounded her and her spirit, and she hopes that whatever conversation Ally has with a younger lawyer in the future is different.
9. Chantal’s Fierce Magic
Chantal recounts a story of when she was bravely testifying against a man who assaulted her. Unfortunately, her attorney told her that she needs to change her appearance. Despite the fact that she is not the one on trial, the way she wears her hair, her tattoos, her nails, and other things might prompt the jury to not believe her because of racist bias. This was a very sad moment for Chantal, but luckily she has support in Shakeem, a hairdresser and one of her oldest friends. Shakeem does her hair and despite the situation and the ugly suit she has to wear, it makes her feel fierce and unashamed, as she testifies against the man who hurt her.
10. In Memoriam
We see a middle aged Black woman and a younger Black woman, in two different rooms, silently styling their hair. They are both struggling with their emotions as they do so. After they are done, we hear the news share about another shooting of an unarmed Black man at the hands of police. The women are the man’s mother and wife. They embrace silently, before they go to speak at his memorial.
11. Rhonda and Red Lobster
Rhonda is excited because she thinks she just landed a fellowship at her dream law firm. Her and her partner are going to celebrate at Red Lobster. Unfortunately, she gets a call from her mentor who previously worked at the firm and it turns out she didn’t get the fellowship. Due to her light skin, light eyes, and her hair pulled back, they couldn’t tell she was Black. They had been under criticism for lack of diversity, so they wanted to hire someone who was more visibly Black. This hurts Rhonda. But upon reflection, she knows that she is generally treated better than darker skinned Black women, specifically her mother and sister who are both darker than her. Rather than dwell on this loss, she calls her mother and sister and invites them to join her at Red Lobster.
12. Adaora and her Little Princess
Adadora takes her daughter to stand outside of St. George’s Chapel to watch Prince Harry and Meghan after their royal wedding. Her sister has told her this is silly, but this is important to her. Adadora’s child’s father is white, and therefore her daughter looks quite different from her. Frequently, people have accused her of mistreating someone else’s child, because they don’t believe that her daughter is hers. Her daughter is teased at school and thinks she’s ugly, so Adadora has brought her here so she can see someone who looks like her: Meghan Markle. They are overjoyed when Meghan waves back.
13. Pauline on When Hair Gets Political
As a Black woman politician with locs, people often ask her if she’s worried that her hair will bar her from advancing politically. She says that that’s not what the voters really care about, and she has gotten very little criticism for her hair over the years. She speaks on the fact that many Black woman are in fact discriminated against for their hair, and she has worked to pass bills that end hair discrimination over the years. More and more Black woman politicians are beginning to wear their hair naturally, so she thinks progress is being made. She notes the importance of representation, and that the real work is about what kind of society we are leaving for our next generation. She says the real work is making sure the next generation can hold their heads up higher.
14. Dear God, It’s Me, Claire
It’s 2019, and a young Black girl named Claire is praying. She laments the fact that she has been grounded for punching a boy named Shane in the nose. She insists he deserved it, because he called her and her friend Keisha ugly. Shane believes that girls have to have light skin and long hair to be beautiful. Claire KNOWS that’s not true. Miss Universe has dark skin and short hair, and Claire knows she’s beautiful just like Miss Universe. But her friend Keisha cried and doesn’t necessarily believe that, so Claire punched him in the nose. Claire prays that God makes sure her mom knows that Shane deserved it. We realize that Claire’s mom is Amaya, who we previously met as the little girl who was praying to God for long hair and lighter skin. After her mother repeatedly calls for her, Claire ends her prayer.
