Can the American theater offer compelling counter-programming to the demagogic anti-immigrant narrative poisoning minds across the land? If Mfoniso Udofia’s Sojourners now playing at Round House Theatre is any indication, the answer is a resoundingly hopeful yes.
The central strength of Sojourners is the character of Abasiama, a 20-something woman from Nigeria played with transcendent grace and grit by Billie Krishawn. The year is 1978, the place is Houston, and Abasiama is eight months pregnant by her husband, Ukpong, their obligatory marriage having been arranged in Nigeria by their well-off fathers.
Abasiama is diligently pursuing a degree in biology and working nights at a gas station. Meanwhile, her shiftless and lusty husband (a strikingly strong Opa Adeyemo), who is also supposed to be studying, fritters away his time on Motown and her income on beer. From the very first scene in their drab, cramped apartment, when Ukpong persists in making unwelcome sexual advances (she’s obviously stressed and in spasms of pain) and at one point swats her, we worry about her, we fear she’s in danger, we want her to be okay.
So it is that we begin to care about a sympathetic protagonist who as performed by Krishawn through two nuanced and intense acts is like a window into the soul of someone who turns out to be the soul of goodness.
The progress of Abasiama’s pregnancy corresponds to the story arc of Act One, during which we witness the mounting tension in Ukpong’s “high on America” dominance of Abasiama. He likes it here, he wants to stay; Abasiama likes being a student but intends to return home once her degree is done, to help rebuild Nigeria after the recent war there. While some have read into Abasiama and Ukpong’s marital strife a parable about “the complexity of the American dream,” it seemed to me at least as much a distressed case study in straight-up acculturated sexism.
In an initially mystifying scene, we meet a character named Disciple, also a 20-something student from Nigeria, who is frazzled and frustrated because his academic writing is not going well, as evidenced by the cliche of paper pages he rips from his manual typewriter and crumples. A brainy and spiritual sort, he’s played warmly and conscientiously by Kambi Gathesha and shows up coincidentally at the gas station where Abasiama works and then on purpose in Act Two to offer her much-needed support and solace — once she’s certain he can be trusted. (Disciple’s last name is Ufot, and since Sojourners is the first in Udofia’s projected epic nine-play Ufot Cycle about the Nigerian-American experience, one can presume more about him will be known.)
The live wire and wild card in the cast is Renea S. Brown as Moxie, an American-born teen who sells survival sex and comes to the gas station on Abasiama’s shift in need of a “gig.” Abasiama, disturbed to see welts on Moxie’s midriff left by an injurious john, generously helps her fill out a job application. Both Disciple and Moxie recognize and are drawn to Abasiama’s inherent goodness, and in Act Two, which is postpartum, they each help fortify and restore her. Disciple notices too how Abasiama is with Moxie: “You’re good to her. Even though she is not like you,” he says. “Well,” Abasiama replies. “That’s just — why not?” The tender scene between Moxie and Abasiama in Abasiama’s hospital bed stands out especially as the play’s sweetest surprise.
Under Valerie Curtis-Newton’s careful direction, the production has an understated, unshowy esthetic. Paige Hathaway’s scenic design frames a turntable’s worth of efficiently naturalistic sets within an abstractly jagged proscenium. Ivania Stack’s costume designs accurately express the characters we get to know. And besides enhancing the overal drama, Porsche McGovern’s lighting design and Kenny Neal’s sound design credibly suggest the arrival of tricks in autos at the gas station. Much respect also for the precision of dialect coaching by Dawn-Elin Fraser and Ibibo language consulting by Francesca and Ekemini Ekpo.
Sojourners as a play is a bit of a slow simmer before it boils. But when it does, it’s scalding. The ending, for instance, which points to Abasiama’s independence and empowerment, comes as a jolt akin to Nora’s abrupt final exit in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Little wonder that in a note in the script, the playwright advises: “Please swallow the bitter pill of Act One in order to discover the release of Act Two.”
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes including one intermission.
Sojourners plays through October 6, 2024, at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD (one block from Bethesda Metro station). Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased by calling 240-644-1100, visiting the box office, or online. (Learn more about special discounts here, accessibility here, and the Free Play program for students here.
View the digital program for Sojourners here.
Learn more about The Ufot Cycle here.
Audio-described performance: Saturday, September 21 at 2:00 pm
Open-captioned performance: Saturday, September 28 at 2:00 pm
Mask-required performances: Tuesday, October 1 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, October 5 at 2:00 pm
Nigerian Community Night performance on Friday September 20 at 8 pm
COVID Safety: Round House Theatre no longer requires that audience members wear masks for most performances. However, masks are required for the following performances: Tuesday, October 1 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, October 5 at 2:00 pm. Round House’s complete Health and Safety policy is here.
Sojourners
By Mfoniso Udofia
Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton
CAST
Abasiama: Billie Krishawn
Ukpong: Opa Adeyemo
Disciple: Kambi Gathesha
Moxie: Renea S. Brown
Understudies
Ukpong and Disciple Understudy: Isaiah C. Evans
Abasiama and Moxie Understudy: Sirra Faal
CREATIVE TEAM
Scenic Designer: Paige Hathaway
Costume Designer: Ivania Stack
Lighting Designer: Porsche McGovern
Sound Designer: Kenny Neal
Properties Coordinator: Chelsea Dean
Dialect Coach: Dawn-Elin Fraser
Co-Ibibo Consultants: Francesca and Ekemini Ekpo
Dramaturg: Naysan Mojgani
Casting Director: Sarah Cooney
Production Stage Manager: Jazzy Davis
SEE ALSO:
Round House kicks off season with Nigerian-American drama ‘Sojourners’ (news story August 8, 2024)
