Ufot Family Cycle

REVIEW:  Learning through a child’s eyes in Boston Arts Academy and Wheelock Family Theatre’s ‘Kufre and Quay’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Imagining your first day in a new place can bring excitement, anxiousness and dread.

However, Kufre is optimistic his first day will be wonderful as he arrives from Nigeria to his new home in Inwood, New Jersey.  He daydreams about all the friends he will make and how much everyone will like him when he starts at a Harlem Youth Center in Harlem, New York.  However, things do not turn out quite like he imagines. 

Insightfully directed by John Adekoje, Boston Arts Academy with Wheelock Family Theatre continues the world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia‘s Kufre and Quay, the fifth production in the Ufot’s  nine-play family cycle which features three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations, live and in person at Boston Arts Academy in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday. July 26.  This bilingual production runs approximately two hours with one intermission and boasts open captions that come in handy during the performance.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Levi Mngomezulu in Boston Arts Academy and Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of Kufre n’ Quay by Mfoniso Udofia, directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje. Running July 10 – July 26, 2025 at Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theatre (174 Ipswich St, Boston, MA 02215). Photo credit Annielly Camargo.

Having seen Ufot’s second production The Grove and the fourth production Her Portmanteau, it was wonderful to see the progression in the Ufot Family after watching things from Iniabasi’s perspective in Her Portmanteau and seeing things through her son’s eyes in this production.  However, you can witness and enjoy this production without watching the others.

Lighting designer Karen Perlow with Projection designer Justin Lahue innovatively lay out in multiple strips that elegantly reveal black and white photos of Harlem to framed family photos to the solar system to subtle streams to the green landscape of Nigeria.  Cliff Notez’s rich and catchy sound also contributes to the transformative quality and cultural aesthetic of this production in daydreams and reality.

The cast of Boston Arts Academy and Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of Kufre n’ Quay by Mfoniso Udofia, directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje. Running July 10 – July 26, 2025 at Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theatre (174 Ipswich St, Boston, MA 02215). Photo credit Annielly Camargo.

It’s the hottest day of the year on Sunday, July 21, 2018 and Levi Mngomezulu as 12 year-old Kufre, the son of Iniabasi Ekpeyong and grandson of Abasiama Ufot, is adorable right from the start.  Bright eyed and charming, Mngomezulu as Kufre doesn’t realize the kind of impression he will make on the other kids and along with Ayannah Joseph as Aissatou, they have their own ideas about this new boy from Nigeria.  Until Kufre meets Ngolela Kamanampata as warm and theatre loving 13 year-old Laquasha Price or ‘Quay’ and under the guidance of Jalyse Ware as counselor Miss Ey Yo Miss, Kufre has encountered more challenges than he ever expected. 

Jackie Davis, Levi Mngomezulu, and Ramona Lisa Alexander in Boston Arts Academy and Wheelock Family Theatre’s
production of Kufre n’ Quay by Mfoniso Udofia, directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje. Running July 10 – July 26, 2025
at Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theatre (174 Ipswich St, Boston, MA 02215). Photo credit Annielly Camargo.

Jalyse Ware beautifully portrays compassionate counselor Miss Ey Yo Miss, who helps to run Harlem’s The Zone Youth Center.  As this production does, Miss Ey Yo Miss uses theatre though a talent show to establish connection and navigates this youth group with clever finesse.  Composed of Zay Williams, Selah Thande, Jedrian Latimore, Ezra Schwartz-Bart, Londyn Lacy, Shai-Anne Neufville, Ja’Mon Johnson and Ayannah Joseph, the group shares a real rapport with each other as individuals and as a collective as they speak over one another and make humorous comments as they embark on new activities. 

Ngolela Kamanampata and Levi Mngomezulu (in foreground) in Boston Arts Academy and Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of Kufre n’ Quay by Mfoniso Udofia, directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje. Running July 10 – July 26, 2025 at Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theatre (174 Ipswich St, Boston, MA 02215). Photo credit Annielly Camargo.

Kamanampata is delightful as Quay as she attempts to bring Mngomezulu as Kufre out of his shell, especially demonstrated in an imaginative theatre activity that Kufre is hesitant to learn.

Ramona Lisa Alexander as Iniabasi Ekpeyong and Jackie Davis as Abasiama Ufot both deliver powerful performances as they discover more about Kufre and his experiences at the Zone.

Kufre and Quay is a moving coming of age tale that gradually increases in intensity, especially in the second act.  It tackles language, misunderstandings, cultural disconnect, and how each generation affects another while discovering new ways to relate and grow together.

Levi Mngomezulu and Ngolela Kamanampata in Boston Arts Academy and Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of Kufre n’ Quay by Mfoniso Udofia, directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje. Running July 10 – July 26, 2025 at Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theatre (174 Ipswich St, Boston, MA 02215). Photo credit Annielly Camargo.

Boston Arts Academy with Wheelock Family Theatre continues the world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia‘s Kufre and Quay, the fifth production in the Ufot’s  nine-play family cycle which features three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations, live and in person at Boston Arts Academy in Boston, Massachusetts through Saturday. July 26. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Searching for reconnection in Central Square Theater with Front Porch Arts Collective’s world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia’s intensely heartfelt ‘Her Portmanteau’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Sundays are Abasiama’s good day. 

It is on a Sunday that Jade A. Guerra as Iniabasi arrives to New York from Nigeria to reunite with family she has not seen in many years.  However with a misunderstanding from the start, reconnecting will prove to more of a challenge than anyone could have imagined.

Profoundly directed by Tasia A. Jones, Central Square Theater with Front Porch Arts Collective continues the world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia‘s Her Portmanteau, the fourth production in the Ufot’s  nine-play family cycle which features three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations, live and in person at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Saturday, April 20.  This intense bilingual production in English and Ibibio runs 90 minutes with no intermission.  It is fascinating to see how these families progress over these nine plays, but you can witness and enjoy one without having seen the others.   Click here for more information and for tickets.

Victoria Kanyike and Jade A. Guerra in Central Square Theater and Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘Her Portmanteau’ Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

Scenic designer Shelley Barish emphasizes family with an Ufot personal touch displaying framed family photos and gold embellishments around Adiaha’s New York City apartment in January 2014.  Having seen Ufot’s second production The Grove, it was wonderful to see the progression in the Ufot Family from the earlier production in 2009 evident in the set such as Kimberley’s portraits lying by the door.  This stylish apartment is enlivened with splashes of vibrant color in the kitchen and living room as well as gold ropes surrounding it as if symbolically anchoring it in place.  Arshan Gailus’s urgent and at times roaring scenic design emphasizes the family’s building tension, making their surroundings occasionally overwhelming.  However, the family silences are more deafening that any outside activity.  Enclosed in this city apartment, the past is bound to come out.

Jade A Guerra and Patrice Jean-Baptiste in Central Square and Front Porch Arts ‘s Collective ‘Her Portmanteau’ Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

Her Portmanteau continues to build Udofia’s rich characters in each piece and from the moment Jade A. Guerra as serious and direct Iniabasi appears, though she is in the same room as her mother and half sister, they seem continents away.  At first, you wonder if this is due to a language barrier or something more.  Iniabasi is as short, awkward and defensive as Lorraine Victoria Kanyike as Adiaha is thoughtful, chatty and earnest in making Iniabasi comfortable.  Kanyike and Guerra share some notably humorous moments as they struggle to understand each other sharing quips and slights comparing their contrasting upbringing.  With an occasional nervous chuckle, Kanyike’s Adiaha exhibits anxious and yet it is interesting to witness charisma and confidence in Adiaha who has clearly come into her own while Patrice Jean-Baptiste depicts Abasiama, their loving yet complicated mother. 

Victoria Kanyike and Patrice Jean-Baptiste in Central Square Theater and Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘Her Portmanteau’ Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

Family tension and strain is palpable right from the start and it is intriguing to watch this impressive cast try to break it in a mix of humorous, intense, and painfully relatable moments.  Jean-Baptiste exhibits a carefully executed mix of excitement, curiosity and apprehension as she searches for avenues of reconnection while still dealing with her own struggles and trauma with quiet and harrowing strength.  Patricia Jean-Baptiste and Guerra share stirringly complex scenes in their strained conversations and Udofia’s moving dialogue.  Rooted in love, anger, brokenness and resentment, they misunderstand each other in vast and impactful ways searching to a sense of belonging speaking from different worlds and yearning for middle ground. 

Patrice Jean-Baptiste and Lorraine Victoria Kanyike in Central Square Theater and Front Porch Arts Collective’s ‘Her Portmanteau’ Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

Her Portmanteau is a remarkably moving chapter about family.  It contains struggles and conflict as well as surprising and heartwarming discoveries that were simply wonderful to watch unfold.

Central Square Theatre with Front Porch Arts Collective continues the world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia ‘s Her Portmanteau live and in person at Central Square Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Saturday, April 20.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Family dynamics in The Huntington’s world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia’s ‘The Grove’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

What comes before you is not as powerful as what comes next.  Forging ahead has never been more difficult for Adiaha in The Grove.

Abigail C. Onwunali in The Huntington’s production of Mfoniso Udofia’s The Grove, directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin. Running February 7 – March 9, 2025 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont St, Boston, MA, 02116).

With skillful direction by Awoye Timpo and captivating choreography by Adesola Osakalumi, The Huntington presented the world premiere of The Grove, the second of Ufot’s  nine-play family cycle, live and in person at The Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 9 and is currently available to stream online.  This intriguing bilingual production in English and Ibibio runs 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission.  The Ufot Family Cycle features three Ufot Nigerian-American family generations.   Click here for more information and how to steam this production.

The cast of The Huntington’s production of Mfoniso Udofia’s The Grove, directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin. Running February 7 – March 9, 2025 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont St, Boston, MA, 02116).

Jumping from 1978 in The Sojourners to Worcester, Massachusetts in 2009, The Grove explores family roots, identity, and more as Adiaha’s struggles under the anxiety of facing her extended family as she carries a secret that she fears is against her Nigerian heritage and will ruin her family’s expectations.

Lit brilliantly by Reza Behjat, a silvery, translucent and multipurpose carousel backdrop not only serves as an extension into other scenes, but as a mysterious window into another world which features allegorical figures and inspiration for Abigail C. Onwunali as introspective perfectionist Adiaha Ufot, the eldest daughter in the Ufot household.  The production opens to the Ufot family cooking and meticulously housecleaning to prepare for Adiaha’s master’s degree graduation under the direction of Ufot’s father and patriarch Disciple, depicted with righteous enthusiasm by Joshua Olumide.  A grandfather clock, wooden stove, living room with sofa and chairs provide a portion of Jason Ardizzone-West’s sleek and innovative set.

Janelle Grace and Ekemini Ekpo of The Huntington’s production of Mfoniso Udofia’s The Grove, directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin. Running February 7 – March 9, 2025 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont St, Boston, MA, 02116).

The Grove has a strong cast sharing a tight family bond, each holding their own deep convictions within an umbrella of expectations.  In spite of his Disciple’s objections, Amani Kojo as Adiaha’s little brother Ekong Ufot dares to embrace the world around him and adopt American culture.  Kojo as determined Ekong seems an unconventional voice of reason within the family remaining vigilant under his father’s pressure.

Left to right: Janelle Grace, Joshua Olumide, Abigail C. Onwunali, and Patrice Jean-Baptiste in The Grove; directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin

 Olumide as Adiaha’s orthodox father Disciple, a PhD scholar himself, staunchly urges his oldest daughter Adiaha forward through higher education in hopes of marrying her off so she can carry on Nigerian tradition in her own family.  Disciple’s insistent nature and urgency reverberates with Onwunali’s Adiaha as she anxiously follows another path weighed down by the fear of disappointing him.  Onwunali encapsulates this role in her pleading demeanor exemplified by her nervous and short answers attempting to tow the line for her family and what is expected of her.  Adiaha’s plight to be who her family wants and her own dreams are being squashed within and it is impossible not to feel for this young woman. 

Left to right: Paul-Robert Pryce, Makuda Steady, and Joshua Olumide in The Grove; directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin

Aisha Wura Akorede as Toyoima Ufot shares a credible sibling rapport with Onwunali as Akorede delivering teasing yet tough love.  Akorede brings lightheartedness and some laughter as the subject matter intensifies.

Patrice Johnson Chevannes is impressive as conflicted Abasiama, exhibiting Abasiama’s struggles and trauma with quiet and harrowing strength as a traditional Nigerian wife and mother in a sly and powerful scene with Adiaha.  Abasiama also shares some amazing scenes with Disciple recalling their long and complex history.

Abigail C. Onwunali and Patrice Johnson Chevannes in The Huntington’s production of Mfoniso Udofia’s The Grove, directed by Awoye Timpo; photo by Marc J. Franklin. Running February 7 – March 9, 2025 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont St, Boston, MA, 02116).

Adiaha’s outlet into herself is through her writing as mysterious voices and shadows, depicted vividly by Ekemini Ekpo, Janella Grace, Patrice Jean-Baptiste, Dayenne Walters, and Chibuba Bloom Osuala, are a driving force and play a uniquely powerful collaborative role in this production.

A journey of discovery, The Grove delivers a familiar storyline in a distinctive and fascinating manner.  Its artistry, symbolism and multi-layered style of storytelling embellish every aspect of the production into a new and refreshing experience.

The Huntington presented the world premiere of The Grove at The Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 9 and is currently available to stream online.  Click here for more information and how to steam this production.