An exceptional beginning at THE HUNTINGTON: SOJOURNERS is the first of a cycle of 9 plays– THE UFOT Family Cycle written by Massachusetts-born playwright Mfoniso Udofia, a Nigerian-American whose family saga follows 3 generations over 100 years. Epic and intimate, SOJOURNERS swells with poetry, emotion, and characters whose lives and fortunes compel us to follow!

L.to R. Nomè SiDone, Abigail C. Onwunali /Photo Marc J. Franklin

This origin story begins in 1978 when we meet two married graduate students from Nigeria living in Houston, Texas, pursuing degrees and planning to return home with what they have learned. Abasiama Ufot is 8 months pregnant and her husband Ukpong is madly in love with his beautiful bride though theirs is an arranged marriage. The question of home erupts immediately when Ukpong — who is also enamored of this newfound American culture– suddenly, and once again, takes off, leaving Abasiama to weather the remaining difficult days of her pregnancy and the imminent birth of their child. Will he return? Will they remain together? What will she do? Who will she be? Where is home after all?

It’s easy to see how Udofia’s muscular narrative will lay the foundation for a generational saga with its archetypal questions of identity, sacrifice, and home. These characters instantly feel larger than life, warm, and vibrant. At first, their thick accents are hard to penetrate, but this richly expressive dialogue makes itself heard once you settle into its rhythms and intonation. As the patient and grounded Abasiama, Abigail C. Onwunali is a potent force onstage, anchoring herself on the couch, amply pregnant, and about to give birth to their future. She exudes a quiet magnetism grounding everything around her. Her passionate, fast-talking husband Ukpong played by the towering Nome SiDone and a mighty force in his own right– is no match for this tiny woman who holds her space no matter what shifts around her.

Jason Ardizzone-West’s detailed sets like mini tableaux slide in and out of view, scene by scene, like snapshots of lives and moments; and sometimes interstitially, these sets are screened by a transparent network of branches, illuminated by Aja M. Jackson’s mysterious play of shadow and light. Director Dawn M. Simmons lets these scenes breathe without slackening dramatic momentum through performances viscerally tethered to the humanity of each character.

Asha Basha Duniani/Photo Marc J. Franklin

Two more interesting characters enter Abasiama’s life and are drawn to the matriarch’s power: an aptly named prostitute named Moxie played by Asha Basha Duniani whose portrayal is hilarious and poignant. The girl struts in and never shuts up in an all out, over the top bid to hide her loneliness and lack of education. But Abasiama spots the spark in her, and in a series of priceless encounters helps her fill out a job application, a first step in moving forward. Duniani lifts Moxie beyond caricature and into an unforgettable young woman we immediately love and root for.

Joshua Olumide/Photo Marc J. Franklin

Then there’s fellow Nigerian “Disciple” played by Joshua Olumide whose wild-eyed religious ravings grow more focused on Abasiama as he declares, though she’s married, that HE is the man to protect her in this world, when it’s obvious he’s the one in need.

Their interaction signals a deeper journey in progress here, akin to that of Sojourner Truth, former slave turned abolitionist and women’s rights champion. Abasiama, though she is not fleeing oppression, is nevertheless  a seeker in a new world, demanding dignity and equality as a woman about to give birth not only to her baby girl (despite her husband’s insistence it will be a boy) but to herself. Abasiama will find herself at the precipice of pivotal decisions requiring no small measure of courage and which will reverberate for generations to come.

Mfoniso Udofia’s cycle is off to an auspicious beginning. Though she stands on a foundation laid by August Wilson whose 10 play cycle charted the 20th century African American experience over 100 years, Udofia’s voice rings out fresh and clear in a new time, heading into the future, decades into the 21st. The UFOT Family Cycle will also span 100 years, and like Wilson’s Century Cycle, has found a home at The Huntington. DO NOT MISS  SOJOURNERS onstage through December 1 at The Huntington Theatre. AND you can also see it for FREE in a series of one night POP UP performances in various communities– Check Calendar HERE!