Review: Superb SOJOURNERS is Moving Launch of The Huntington's Nine-Play Ufot Family Cycle

The Huntington’s presentation of first-generation Nigerian American playwright Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle – a two-year citywide festival involving some 35 arts and community organizations, colleges, and universities – is an ambitious undertaking even in the long and storied history of the theater company.

If the cycle’s launch with “Sojourners,” an emotionally affecting story developed at the 2013 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab and the Playwrights Realm Writing Fellowship and Page One Residency on its way to its 2016 off-Broadway premiere, is any indication, theatergoers are in for a series of not-to-be-missed experiences.

At the Huntington Theatre – where the Huntington memorably presented all 10 plays in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, part of Udofia’s inspiration for the Ufot Family Cycle – the play is being given a deeply moving, perfectly cast production, running through December 1. Pop-ups of “Sojourners” are also set for the Prior Performing Arts Center in Worcester on November 19, Zumix in East Boston on November 22, and Roxbury Community College on November 25.

Set in Houston, Texas, in 1978, “Sojourners” – under the layered and sensitive direction of Dawn M. Simmons – is centered on an aspirational young Nigerian couple and tells of their arranged marriage, migration, and their pursuit of education that they hope will strengthen them and which they can bring back to their homeland. Even the best of intentions can go awry, though, and the very pregnant Abasiama (Abigail C. Onwunali), nicknamed Ama, must deal with the reality that Smokey Robinson albums and American culture have come to captivate her husband, Ukpong (Nome SiDone), stealing his focus from their life plans and ultimately leaving Ama to fend for herself.

Ama is at the heart of this origin story for the cycle. Her intuitive strength and generosity of spirit serve as a beacon of hope for those around her. While Ama may at times be bent, the luminous Onwunali makes clear she won’t be broken. And SiDone makes Ukpong sympathetic, even as the feckless character strays from his responsibilities while his wife keeps her focus on her college textbooks and her overnight job at a gas-station convenience store.

While toiling at that grimy location, Ama’s kindness and warmth still enable her to treat customers with respect, including a sometimes switchblade-wielding teenaged girl – named Anna Mae at birth but aptly renamed Moxie – whose surface attitude masks the uncertainty and fear that go hand in hand with life on the streets. Eager to turn her life around, Moxie looks to Ama for help, introducing her to the joys of a Snickers candy bar in the process, and later coming to need Ama as a mother or older-sister figure in her life.

The arrival on the scene of Disciple (Joshua Olumide), an intense figure prone to proclamations about Nigerian immigration and passionately delivered exhortations, sets up a heartrending rivalry between himself and Moxie, both of whom have real need for Ama’s attention.

While that might be too much for some to handle, Ama opens her arms and heart wider, offering a human salve for their loneliness while struggling with her own.

The Southbridge-reared, Wellesley College-educated Udofia’s exquisitely naturalistic writing of both compelling characters and plot all but guarantees that “Sojourners,” and the plays in the Ufot family cycle that will follow it, will get attention from Broadway and television producers. Nevertheless, while marquee names may one day play these roles, they’ll be hard-pressed to do them as well as this remarkable Boston cast. Led by the magnificent Onwunali, there is not a single false moment to be found.

The production also features time-establishing scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West which includes a vintage 1970s apartment outfitted with bright yellow appliances. Costume Designer Sarita Fellows has created period attire well-suited to each character and complemented by Earon Chew Nealey’s hair, wig, and makeup design. The production’s overall look is enriched by Aja M. Jackson’s excellent lighting design which seamlessly dovetails with the fine sound design and original music by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen.

 

Photo caption: Left to right: Left to right: Asha Basha Duniani, Abigail C. Onwunali, Nomè SiDone, and Joshua Olumide from the Huntington production of Mfoniso Udofia’s “Sojourners,” directed by Dawn M. Simmons, at the Huntington Theatre through December 1, 2024. Photo by Nile Hawver.

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