runboyrun & IN OLD AGE

See it if you'd like to learn abt Nigerian civil war & its fall-out. Some lovely moments, but too long. Strg acting of hard material. Unusual story.

Don't see it if you want coherence or are impatient. Or don't like magic in real setting. Or the mistreatment of women/kids. W signif cuts, RBR w shine.

Also Because RBR was so long (1.75 hours) I couldn't stay for In Old Age.

See it if you have seen the other plays in this series. These is a continuation of the life of characters from the previous plays.

Don't see it if you haven't seen or read about the earlier plays. I didn't understand the relationship in the first play until well into the performance.

See it if Abusive Nigerian immigrant haunted by sister's death/civil war refuses divorce. After his death, wife vows not to repeat mistake. She does.

Don't see it if Saga parts 3 & 8 of promised; unfinished cycle cause a lot of filling in. Time/place-shifts 1968 Biafra/2012 Wooster aren't distinct.(3:40).

Also "From the broken came our world/My children,war will not take them/This is good for me"... Read more Read less

See it if You’re a fan of the playwright and want to see the whole cycle. You’re up on the history of Africa in the 20th century.

Don't see it if You’re easily confused by leaps in time.

Also I loved the two previous plays in the Ufot cycle, which will eventually include nine. But perhaps it would have been better if the playwright had released them in chronological order. I found Runboyrun hard to follow and it took me a while to figure out what was happening. It kept me off balance. It is quite a harrowing and upsetting play.

Also, the character of Abasiama didn’t seem to be the same person as the one introduced in the first two plays. Overall, I had high hopes for these two, and I left the theater somewhat deflated.... Read more Read less

See it if you’re dying to see the complete cycle.

Don't see it if you struggle with patience.

Also I come to this having enjoyed Sojourners and loved Her Portmanteau. I was invested in Abasiama and Disciple as characters and yet, I found both of these plays unforgivably tedious. The first 30 minutes of runboyrun are essentially silent housekeeping and only the last 15 minutes held my interest. In Old Age could’ve been 30 minutes.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the psychological damage done byt early guilt and trauma. The issues are important but the treatment falls short

Don't see it if you are looking for compelling theater. The actors were at times both inaudible and incomprehensible-- a problem in communicating substance

See it if Fan of both cycle and playwright, determined to be Africa's August Wilson. African history buff.

Don't see it if No interest in third world. No interest in a 3.5+ hour double bill.

Also Runboy run is a fascinating play with very logical use of time shifts. The ending is immensely tragic. Unfortunately, it is paired with IOA, an absolute snoozer which should have been thirty minutes at best. Tedious geezer two hander. Both got on my nerves. Program is immensely unhelpful, so I never knew cast size and was stuck with them. Preview cost paid. NYTW saddled itself with all nine plays. This is likely the one dud. Audiences will surely loathe this hokum claptrap. To call it slow as molasses would insult molasses. If done in rep, it would be poorly attended beyond the faithful sheep subscribers. But that would have sufficed to fill coffers anyway, and spared collateral damage to the general public. Pairing them does everyone a disservice. Preview a bad deal this time!... Read more Read less

See it if You like to see the past and the present intertwined. Beautifully acted, especially In Old Age.

Don't see it if You don't like long introspective stories

See it if Creatively brilliant! Three generations of storytelling of war and the impact of being a survivor. Powerful production not to be missed!

Don't see it if If you want to walkout feeling good then this isn’t your kind of play!

See it if <3 RunBoyRun. Felt Mom's fear, anger & love, the sister's love, the boy & Disciple's pain. It's beautiful. In Old Age tells a powerful story

Don't see it if you don't have patience. Both shows are slow to start, especially if you don't have the context of her other plays about the same family.

See it if you want to see two plays for the price of one, both of which have a few strong moments.

Don't see it if you want a fully entertaining evening. At over three hours, these two slow-moving plays don't fully engage.

See it if experimental is your jam. Mfoniso Udofia's one-acts take exciting risks with content and structure. Also, Patrice Johnson Chevannes: WOW!

Don't see it if you're not in for a long haul. Each play can stand on its own and it's a lot to take in for one night. Stick around tho: Act 2 is stronger.

Also Memorable line: "Okay, okay, okay."

See it if 3 and a half hours...very slow..confusing..hard to understand accent..I was underwhelmed...

Don't see it if you want a clear cohesive narrative..

See it if You follow this playwright and want to see the whole cycle. The pace is painfully slow, so you must be patient. Seen in previews.

Don't see it if You have trouble (as I do) with Nigerian accents.It took me too long to figure out what was going on. Once I did, I didn't care.

Also In fairness, this set was in previews, so it is possible the pace will pick up and the articulation will be clearer by the opening. I can only comment on runboyrun, which left me numb. I did not stay for In Old Age.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy udofia’s Amazing work.

Don't see it if Too long who only saw the first plan. Run boy run .

See it if u want to see the whole Ufot family saga. U're interested in how trauma can haunt ppl across oceans & decades, even into a new life in RBR.

Don't see it if you expect consistently good writing. RBR is a strong story that needs a stronger end to shine. IOA is dull & forced, like a too-long draft.

Also RunBoyRun = 77.
In Old Age = 62.
Averaged # = 70.

Playwright Udofia has written a 9-play cycle, of which 'runboyrun' is part 3 & 'In Old Age' part 8. I've only seen Part 1 'Sojourners' by Playwrights Realm in Jan 2016 (not the 2017 NYTW production).

Abasiama (the cycle's main character & family matriach) was a different actor in the Part 1 I saw. I know her character is a lot older & more worn down/embittered from all the yrs since part 1, but I didn't recognize her & (more importantly) didn't find much sympathetic in her in either play here.

I only recommend RBR. Last 20 min could be more convincing, but it's a powerful refugee immigrant tale we don't often hear from Nigeria.

You could leave @ intermission, though Ron Canada does a great job @ the start of IOA (he earns his laughs!). But he can't overcome the thin script & lack of chemistry w/ Patrice Johnson Chevannes (whom I didn't care for here, but loved in CSC's MIES JULIE).

FYI, I had no problem understanding their accents.... Read more Read less

See it if Two well-told stories that are still works in progress (saw second preview where it was announced that lines were still being changed, etc.)

Don't see it if Plays currently run in the 3.5 hour range. New theater seats help. Some parts especially in Runboyrun could have been shortened.

See it if you are interested in African history and the confluence of the political and the personal in contemporary life.

Don't see it if you want a cogent exploration of how war impacts one’s entire existence. Runboyrun is so diffuse it becomes unbearable.

Also Full disclosure: this was an early preview and there will be considerable tightening of the script. And there will be considerable upgrading of the set design, which seemed rickety and unhelpful to the actors. Why is there a television prominently at center stage which obscures the view for many at house left? Good news: In Old Age is a big improvement over runboyrun.... Read more Read less

See it if you like seeing interconnected plays; you really want bang for you buck (2 full plays for the cost of one); great acting

Don't see it if you don't enjoy a long evening of theater; you're not interested in themes of war and trauma

Also they have some work to do to trim and refine this piece, but all in all I found this to be a fun night of theater. I preferred the 2nd play and it's a shame so many people left during intermission and missed it, though I can't say I blame them. Patrice Johnson Chevannes played Abasiama beautifully across these two plays and I marveled at her transformation in In Old Age... Read more Read less

See it if Two very important plays by Mfoniso Udofia that enlighten our hearts and guide our souls. Masterful ways to share touching life stories

Don't see it if not musicals, not fluff; they are powerfully moving life stories. They help you think and feel and learn and transform. Maybe that’s not 4 U

See it if I saw Sejourners part of the cycle too it was so so, some great moments but hard to find them, messages of abuse run through both plays

Don't see it if If you like concise plays it was too long great acting some intense moments but overall I was restless. Good writing but not epic enough.

See it if you have seen or are very familiar with the other plays in the cycle, you are patient and sympathetic to ptsd after the Biafran conflict.

Don't see it if you cannot sit for 3 hours for whatever reason, you have not read through the other plays in the cycle, you dislike magical realism

Also runboyrun requires prior knowledge of the play cycle and patience, it is not an easy play to understand. In Old Age is much more accessible. These 2 plays are for serious theatregoers who can tolerate not understanding every word spoken. They are simply not for everyone but are incredibly well-acted and some people will come away enthralled and moved. If you are a Hairspray type, this is not for you.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in seeing the full Ufot cycle.

Don't see it if You have little patience for inactive, slow, grating dialogue that would make better prose.

See it if You enjoy epic theatre that takes you on a journey through life. You are prepared to feel a wide range of emptions

Don't see it if You can’t sit in a theatre for more than 90 minutes at a time