Sojourners is part one of Nigerian-American writer Mfoniso Udofia ambitious interconnected nine play Ufot Cycle which intimately explores a multi-generational immigrant experience. Over a dozen theaters including New York Theater Workshop, The Denver Center, and Berkeley Rep have introduced audiences across the United States to these deeply personal stories and unique characters. Now the Huntington Theatre in Boston is bringing this special origin story directly into peoples’ homes with a live capture of a performance from their current season. Directed by Dawn M. Simmons, this distinctive piece works well on a screen, within scenic frames designed by Jason Ardizzone-West.
Woven into Udofia’s lines of dialogue are numerous details of the characters’ lives growing up in Etinan, an oil-rich area of Nigeria with its own local government. Well educated and now residing in Houston, Texas on student visas, Ukpong and his pregnant wife Abasiama sit on a well worn couch in their small apartment reliving the days when they were first introduced for an arranged match. Ama, as she is called, is following her superintendent father’s plan and studying hard to achieve the degree in biology that should assure her future. Her heart remains in her family’s compound as she cooks familiar foods and sings in her native language to her unborn child. Ukpong, however, has been seduced away from his economic studies by the flash of rallies, Motown, and beer. His lack of stick-to-itiveness is contrasted with goal-oriented Disciple, another Nigerian student who uses traditional African religious practices to focus his energies.
Nomè SiDone brings charm and swagger to the role of husband, but while the couple is playful, their abode is “not home; it’s something else.” Ama’s night shift at the local Fiesta Mart and Gas Station has brought her in contact with Moxie, an illiterate streetwalker with ambitions of her own. Despite her socioeconomic level, the native born Moxie initially looks down on the woman she simply calls “Africa.” Abigail C. Onwunali is brilliantly expressive as Ama, a woman who knows her worth and can’t believe the many ways people have been careless with her. So there is singular warmth that emanates from Ama’s scenes with Asha Basha Duniani’s vulnerable yet defiant Moxie. Their unexpected relationship forms the true heartbeat of this story, along with inspiring a strong craving for Snickers. Ama’s interaction’s with Joshua Olumide’s Disciple are more uneasy, though the discord adds an interesting flavor to the pot.
As a first chapter in a longer tale, the 1978-set Sojourners unsurprisingly draws to an end, but with an open-ended conclusion. We are left wanting to know what possibilities await and what will have to be shed in order to reach the next target. Fortunately, we won’t have long to wait. The second play in the series, The Grove, begins performances at the Huntington Calderwood (527 Tremont St. Boston) on February 7, 2025. Udofia completed that piece before Sojourners and its foundation should be set by this solid first layer.
Digital tickets to Sojourners begin at $30 and can be used until midnight on December 29. An introduction to the performance is delivered in two languages, perfectly setting up our 2:20 journey. The platform is stable and the well-directed feed includes closed captioning. Visit https://www.huntingtontheatre.org/whats-on/sojourners/ to purchase and read more information.
The Unforgettable Line 