In a two-part theatrical event, NYTW Usual Suspect Ed Sylvanus Iskandar brings to life the singularly poetic world of playwright and NYTW Usual Suspect Mfoniso Udofia’s Sojourners and Her Portmanteau. Performed in repertory, these two chapters of Udofia’s sweeping, nine-part saga, The Ufot Cycle, chronicle the triumphs and losses of the tenacious matriarch of a Nigerian family.

In Sojourners, a young, pregnant Abasiama struggles with the responsibilities of her arranged marriage as her husband becomes seduced by 1970s American culture. Intent on finishing her university studies so that she can return to Nigeria, Abasiama weighs her dreams and obligations as she attempts to move forward. Decades later, the full impact of her decision erupts when Abasiama’s family is reunited in Her Portmanteau. As Nigerian traditions clash with the realities of American life, Abasiama and her daughters must confront complex familial legacies that span time, geography, language and culture. Presented in two parts, this heartrending pairing probes into the ties that bind mothers and daughters and how we define home. Sojourners and Her Portmanteau are produced in association with The Playwrights Realm who premiered Sojourners last winter in a limited engagement world premiere production. Her Portmanteau is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

Mfoniso Udofia’s Sojourners and Her Portmanteau, two plays that make up a nine-part saga and that are currently playing at New York Theatre Workshop under the direction of Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, are, above all, a master class in acting. The two parts, which are meant to be viewed in tandem (either on the same day or on two separate nights), tell the story of a Nigerian-American family over the course of several decades. At a time when immigration is one of the most prevalent topics in the American psyche, these plays hit particularly hard, and even in their slower moments, one cannot help but be completely captivated by the expertly executed performances delivered by every member of the cast. The two plays bring us into two different periods of the families life. In Sojourners Abasiama Epkeyound (an excellent Chinasa Ogbuagu) and her husband Upkong (a charismatic Hubert Point-Du-Jour), move to Texas so that she can study biology at a university there. The expectation is that she will only stay until her studies are through, at which point she’ll return to Nigeria to share her knowledge with her country. It becomes clear that this was not the case after all in Her Portmanteau, in whi …Read more