Few traditions are more sacred than marriage, but when complicated legacies are involved, few traditions are more stressful. “The Ceremony,” celebrated playwright Mfoniso Udofia’s sixth entry in the generation-spanning Ufot Family Cycle of nine plays, finds that complicated connection in the engagement between Nigerian American Ekong Ufot and Nepali American Lumanthi Rathi, simultaneously examining Ekong’s fractured relationship with his immigrant father Disciple.
“Ekong is more rooted in Black American culture than even his Nigerian culture and is trying to figure out how to braid all the sides of him together, and which strings he wants to incorporate into the braiding of himself to figure out how he wants to be moving forward,” Udofia said.
For actor Kadahj Bennett, the son of a Jamaican immigrant who is playing Ekong in the CHUANG Stage production of “The Ceremony,” Udofia’s writing has served as both a mirror and an inspiration.
“My father passed away when I was 15,” he said. “And so I feel like Ekong — not having somebody there to guide you through what it means to be a man, and trying to figure that out on your own and the trials and tribulations of that. I feel there were so many connections.”
As chair of the Boston Arts Academy, Bennett also helped stage a production of the previous Ufot cycle play “Kufre N’ Quay” this past summer.
Co-starring in “The Ceremony” is actress Mahima Saigal, who was drawn to the character of Lumanthi Rathi due to the depth of her arc — something she says is a rarity among South Asian characters.
“There aren’t that many South Asian characters who have a whole throughline,” says Saigal, who is an Indian immigrant. “Being able to track a character from scene one until the end, I just get so excited to see this relationship, which is full of love and going through something this complex because of outside circumstances.”
The care with which each culture is represented in “The Ceremony” is a trademark of Udofia’s writing. The play often switches languages, jumping from Nepali in scenes showcasing arguing in Lumanthi’s family, to prayers in both Ibibio and Sanskrit. But for many playgoers, a more familiar cultural synthesis may be found in an important show from Ekong’s — and Udofia’s — youth: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Udofia said she hopes “The Ceremony” will teach others how to set out on their own journey of love and self-discovery .
“A lot of our characters have to change their behavior in order to get to the dream of themselves,” Udofia said. “And so that’s what I hope people walk away with — that work is good, and to get love, there might be work all through that.”
“The Ceremony” is onstage now through October 5 at Boston University’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre. Click here for more information.
Guests
- Mfoniso Udofia, award-winning playwright and the creator of the Ufot Family Cycle.
- Kadahj Bennett, actor portraying Ekong Ufot
- Mahima Saigal, actress portraying Lumanthi Rathi
