About the Show

NYTW Usual Suspect Mfoniso Udofia returns with another pairing from her powerful nine-part saga, "The Ufot Cycle," which follows a Nigerian family who immigrated to the US.

From the show:

Set in the family’s present-day Worcester home and 1968 Nigeria, "runboyrun" and "In Old Age" pose questions about how to move forward when the past inhabits your very foundation. In "runboyrun," Disciple and Abasiama Ufot have been living the same day over and over again for decades until the dam breaks and time rushes forward while also reeling backwards. They must uncover years of memories and cross great distances to find each other and unearth the roots of their marriage. "IN Old Age" follows Abasiama far into the future as she learns the true nature of love just as life takes a new turn.

Loretta Greco and Awoye Timpo direct these two plays presented together as one evening of theatre.

Critic Reviews (12)

"For These African Immigrants, Life Is a Haunted House: In ‘runboyrun’ and ‘In Old Age,’ the latest installments of Mfoniso Udofia’s nine-play cycle, America is no place to hide from the past."
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3.5 Stars "Both plays dive deeply into the internal torments of their characters, whose painful journeys toward redemption are compelling if sometimes ponderous."
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"Unmagical Realism in 'Runboyrun,' 'In Old Age,' and 'Sunday.'"
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"A Nigerian-American Family Tells Its Story in 'Runboyrun and In Old Age': New York Theatre Workshop mounts two new installments of Mfoniso Udofia's 'Ufot Cycle.'"
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"The current presentation...is cause for alarm: The quality of the writing is showing worrying signs of deterioration, even as the parts on display fail to suggest a coherent overall picture."
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"'Plays shouldn't be hard to sit through, they should inspire us or thrill us or challenge us to think, but they shouldn't tax our physical endurance. The acting and production values of both runboyrun and In Old Age are excellent; there's just too much of both of them."
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3/5 Stars "'Ghosts Haunt a Nigerian-American Family Saga': New York Theatre Workshop stages two installments of Mfoniso Udofia's nine-play cycle"
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"The latest addition to Mfoniso Udofia’s unquestionably compelling cycle of plays..."
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Cast and creative team

New York Theatre Workshop