Lamesha Ruddock
“There’s no limits to what Black hair can do”
Black to My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart is a dazzling performance that had me completely spellbound from start to finish. Featuring Adra Boo, Brenda Melrose, Muso Simekha, Tonya White, and live music by Blake Madden with co-playwright Reneschia Brown stepping into performance, this afternoon of theatre celebrates the stories woven into Black hair.
The show unfolds as a living archive. We move from the tenderness of a mother tending to her daughter’s hair, to childhood memories of beaded braids in the classroom, to braving the Black hair salon, to fiery spoken word about unwanted touches, to soaring vocals that defend the sacredness of our personal space. Each section feels like a rite of passage, building a global hair village across generations.
Adra Boo is magnetic, transforming from playful child to powerhouse vocalist with ease. Her scenes with Reneschia Brown are heart-warming and familiar, Brown delivering no-nonsense care, while Boo embodies the wide-eyed innocence of youth unaware of the scrutiny that will one day follow her hair. Tonya White delivers one of the night’s most stirring moments, turning calm storytelling into a shrill plea, using a cowboy hat to symbolise the beads of her childhood hair. Her cry ran through the theatre like a rallying call.
Muso Simekha electrifies the stage with lyrical precision, spotlighting the phantom handprints left in our afros by unwanted touches. She performs with clarity and authority, her words cutting through the air with undeniable power. Brenda Melrose anchors the piece in lived experience, capturing both the nostalgia and anxiety of salon days, weaving them together with today’s Instagram braiders and their strict rules. Her performance asks the haunting question: is Black hair really that difficult, or is it the systems around it that make it so?
Blake Madden’s live score adds richness to every scene. His basslines move between grounding tenderness and explosive rhythm, weaving seamlessly with Adra Boo’s’ voice. Together, the company also brought sensual dance numbers and striking movement, from the stage glowing under red light to the ladies sitting patiently in the darkness, their relationship as a chosen family is clear.
The power of Black to My Roots is that it never separates the personal from the political. It is a healing and continually urgent piece of theatre that refuses to shrink itself. Instead, it takes up space with authority and care bringing facts and oral histories to the forefront.
Adra Boo. Brenda Melrose. Muso Simekha. Tonya White. Reneschia Brown. Blake Madden.
This ensemble is nothing short of unforgettable.
Black to My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart was at main house at C ARTS | C venues | C aurora from 12:10 (60mins). Tickets were available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Phoebe Bakker
Jasmine Silk
