Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mfoniso Udofia’s surreal CREATION STORIES collapses time, mythologies, and realities to refocus an unfulfilled life

• By drediman
• October 9, 2026
• No Comments

Over at the Claire Tow Theater at Lincoln Center, you’ll find LCT3’s production of creation stories and all the important importants by Nigerian American playwright Mfoniso Udofia. In short, the quirky new work chronicles a day in the life Thegrownwoman, a drama teacher whose most important goal in life is to have a baby. Fast nearing the end of her biological window to bear children, she goes about her day in a manner that will give her the best shot at getting pregnant (via IVF treatments). Going about her business in the city, she is followed — unbeknownst to Thegrownwoman — by her younger self, as if her shadow. Eventually, the odds increasingly stack up against her, escalating her anxiety as she desperately clings to her hopes. Her panic eventually leads to an all-out psychological breakdown, forcing her to reckon with the unfortunate reality of her situation, as well as acknowledge the child beside/inside her all along.

In essence, creation stories is a play that artfully addresses managing expectations in life, especially when things don’t go according to plan. Highly symbolic with charming touches of magic realism, it’s the kind of play that sets out to capture the imagination of audiences as only theater can. The piece is often chaotic and messy, deliberately contrasting the predictability of Thegrownwoman’s frustrated interactions with her technological gadgets and artificial intelligence. This reliance gradually fails her, revealing the emptiness of her life and the missed opportunities to be fully present and engaged (note that much of the play’s dialogue is in third person). At the character’s climactic “fork in the road” scene, she is inspired by her younger self and an imaginary horse companion from her childhood (!) to refocus her life by looking within herself and her heritage to guide the way through this difficult time. It’s a well-earned moment of healing and grief that brings the play to a mystical close. As time, mythologies, and realities begin to collapse, Thegrownwoman comes to realize the power of the imagination to envision the myriads of possibilities that her existence holds.

For this LCT3 presentation, director Tamilla Woodard leans heavily on ritualistic and surreal imagery, staging a kinetic and highly theatrical production — our troubled heroine spends much of the play walking around the stage in circles, both literally and figuratively, as if on an urgent mission — that wonderfully compliments Udofia’s highly stylized, distinctly poetic play. In the central role of Thegrownwoman, Abigail C. Onwunali gives a performance that overtly seethes with grit, agitation, and vulnerability. Indeed, the character’s anxiety is palpable for much of the play. The Little Girl (i.e., Thegrownwoman’s younger self) is played with disarming charm by the precocious young actress Savannah Commodore, whose uncanny self-awareness nicely balances with Onwunali’s spiraling portrayal. As the imaginary horse (whom The Little Girl amusingly refers to as “Mr. Cornell”), Donnetta Lavinia Grays brings colorful hip-hop energy to a role that’s largely written in the rap vernacular.

RECOMMENDED

CREATION STORIES AND ALL OF THE IMPORTANT IMPORTANTS
Off-Broadway, Play
Lincoln Center Theater / LCT3 at the Claire Tow Theater
1 hour, 35 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 1