‘The Grove’ Review: A Must-See Tale of Love in All Forms

From innovative set design to gut-wrenching performances, Mfoniso Udofia’s tearjerking new play, “The Grove” — directed by Awoye Timpo — is an emotional rollercoaster that’s worth the ride.

“The Grove,” the second installation in Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle, the Boston-specific project of nine theater experiences across the city, picks up decades after “‘Sojourners,” which premiered at The Huntington Calderwood Pavilion on Oct. 31. The play follows Adiaha Ufot (Abigail C. Onwunali) who struggles between accepting herself and her family’s expectations for her, with her Greek chorus of Nigerian ancestors confusing and guiding her on her path to self-discovery and acceptance.

Before the show begins, ’90s and 2000s rap and R&B play on stage in an empty living room adorned with a television and an open Bible on the couch — details in Jason Ardizzone West’s scenic design that immediately draw attention to the family’s home and make one feel as though they are part of the story. In fact, the entire set — most notably its walls — brilliantly enhance the viewing experience of an already spectacular story. Instead of solid walls, the walls of the different rooms in which this story takes place are made up of multiple tall silver rods, allowing insight into the mind of the main character Adiaha in a revolutionary way.

With characters moving through and cutting down the walls like a forest, West not only creates a space for the story to take place but makes the space part of the story itself, using the set to reveal each character’s complex emotions and motivations and to tell the history of Ibibio Nigerian people. Timpo’s direction and Adesola Osakalumi’s choreography incorporate the theater as a literal and figurative fourth wall, allowing full access to the Ufot family household and its occupants’ minds. The set alone creates a unique emotional experience that constantly keeps one at the edge of their seat and continually reveals new surprises, pushing the limits of where and how theater can be presented.

The complexity of “The Grove” extends beyond the set and shines in Udofia’s beautiful writing. Udofia manages to spark both laughter and tears just seconds apart through consistently incredible writing. “The Grove” is laced with incredible poetry that develops throughout the story with Adiaha’s character growth. Udofia exhibits her mastery of playwriting and prose in two languages, English and Ibibio, a choice that heightens the stakes for the characters onstage and manages to deepen their connection, never losing engagement in the language barrier. Every character that graces the stage is incredibly complex and well-developed, and through the shortest lines Udofia evokes deep care for the Ufot family. From Abasiama Ufot (Patrice Johnson Chevannes), a mother struggling to accept her daughter’s identity, the state of her life now, and the reality of her past, to Ekong Ufot (Amani Kojo), a younger brother living in perpetual defiance of his father, the entire Ufot family and their friends reflect humanity. Everyone onstage feels reminiscent of someone that everyone knows, deepening the impact of their journey.

Beyond just individual characterization, Udofia dares to writes the most beautiful, troubling, and tense relationships, masterfully replicating sibling relationships that constantly teeter between playfulness and fighting through witty banter and tense arguments, and drawing the tightrope on which troubled romantic and parental relationships balance, creating a constant rotation of shock, laughter, sadness, and even fear. Udofia’s writing makes one feel like part of the family, sharing the Ufots’ happiness and pain.

Udofia’s beautiful writing is complemented by outstanding performances across the cast. Although some actors occasionally dropped their Nigerian accent, each displayed a commitment to portraying authentic Nigerian and LGBTQ+ characters. Paul-Robert Pryce’s Udosen Udoh is a beautiful portrayal of a recognizable young, funny uncle, challenging tradition and contrasting the intensity seeping through Joshua Olumide’s performance as Disciple Ufot, the patriarch of the family. Through his controlling nature, Olumide presents a proud but fearful man, unpeeling the layers behind a hard and humorous character. Aisha Wura Akorde and Amani Kojo capture the middle and youngest child energy perfectly as Toyoima and Ekong Ufot, emulating the simultaneous resentment, fear, and love they feel for their older sister and parents.

That being said, the most outstanding performances come from Johnson Chevannes as the Ufot matriarch and Onwunali as the play’s lead. Onwunali’s performance encapsulates the vulnerability and fear that makes one want to root so deeply for Adiaha. She embarks on the most incredible journey, where somehow every layer of emotion — fear, happiness, and extreme stress — is visible on Onwunali’s face and body language. The heavy burden that Adiaha carries is evident through Onwunali’s performance. Onwunali’s own tears inspire great sympathy for her character. She displays mental fortitude as she takes on such a troubled character and leads a journey through her mind.

“The Grove” leaves one shaken by the Ufot family’s emotional journey and curious about whether they’d have the strength to follow in their footsteps and challenge their world as they know it.

“The Grove” runs at the Huntington Calderwood Pavilion through March 9.

—Staff writer Dzifa A. Ackuayi can be reached at dzifa.ackuayi@thecrimson.com.