THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ngozi Anyanwu’s uneven THE HOMECOMING QUEEN treats tough issues with inventiveness and understanding

Mfoniso Udofia, Patrice Johnson and Vinie Burrows in Ngozi Anyanwu's “The Homecoming Queen” at Atlantic Stage 2.

Mfoniso Udofia, Patrice Johnson and Vinie Burrows in Ngozi Anyanwu’s “The Homecoming Queen” at Atlantic Stage 2.

This weekend, I caught Ngozi Anyanwu’s new play The Homecoming Queen courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company. The play tells the story of Kelechi, a best-selling novelist who goes back to Nigeria after living 15 years in America to check up on her ailing father. Her trip forces her to face her unsettling, and unsettled, past in ways that almost tear her apart.

Ms. Anyanwu’s play is powerful but uneven; it’s both subtly observant and also heavy-handed. Scenes of overwrought intensity – too strained, and therefore unbelievable at times, for this reviewer – alternated with penetrating, nuanced exchanges that treated horrifying events and issues (no spoilers here!) with inventiveness and keen understanding. I look forward to hearing more from this fascinating new voice.

There’s much to commend about this immersive production. The staging, helmed by director Awoye Timpo, adheres sensitively and closely to Kelechi’s anxiety-ridden psyche (e.g., subtle shifts in lighting, a haunted sound design). The cast was also solid. As Kelichi, Mfoniso Udofia started off a bit too frantically, but her performance grew in stature and depth as the play unfolded. The rest of the cast was commendable, particularly the excellent supporting turns of Mirirai Sithole (exquisite) as the house girl Beatrice and Oberon K.A. Adjepong as Kelichi’s complicated father. Oh, and the play’s chorus of aunties, including the likes of Patrice Johnson and Vinie Burrows, was a pure delight.

RECOMMENDED

 

THE HOMECOMING QUEEN
Off-Broadway, Play
Atlantic Theater Company – Atlantic Stage 2
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 18

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply