6 of 9: The Ceremony

Ufot Family Cycle is a bit like if your favourite mini series was live in theatres around Boston. It is a series where each episode stands alone but if you watch the whole shebang it is multiple times richer. The Ceremony is the 6th of 9 plays in the Ufot Family Cycle and is at Boston University’s Joan and Edgar Booth Theatre through October 5th.

The Ceremony refers to a wedding, and yet so much more than that. The definition of ceremony is:

a formal religious or public occasion, typically one celebrating a particular event or anniversary

The ritual observances and procedures performed at grand and formal occasions.

Ceremony refers to religious practices, but also ritual and even sometimes just “going through the motions”.

The Ufot family cycle sucks you right into a period of time and specific place as well as to the family’s particular circumstances along the time line. This time the circumstances are love and marriage and all the raveling and unraveling that can begin as one starts to create a new family line.

The Ceremony addresses the two cultures of the bride and groom. The Ceremony weaves in not only Ibibio and Nepali traditions for the wedding and wedding prep itself, but that’s just the surface. Our cultures are more than prayers we recite, trinkets we carry, or rites we enact in front of others. Our cultures are the way we speak to our mothers and our mothers speak to us. Our traditions are the ways we gloss over some things and allow siblings to unearth others. This is where the substance of The Ceremony lies.

It is a rich production, from the staging in the unique space available at the Joan and Edgar Booth Theatre, to the music, costumes, and set design. The cast as a whole was excellent and there were many aspects to each character including speaking multiple languages, learning mannerisms and even traditional ceremonial dances. Kadahj Bennett as Ekong Ufot took us through so many emotions even though Ekong tended to shut down and turn on the tv to hide or process depending how you look at it. Bennett was able to balance the closed off groom to be and the slight unfurling that happened as the play went on. Mahima Saigal was exceptional as, bride to be, Lumanti Shrestha. She took us on the roller-coaster that The Ceremony is from the first moments of the opening scene. I also want to mention Regine Vital for her fabulous role as Adiaha Ufot who she played extremely well and navigated difficult relationships bridging both family and cultural divides among many of the characters.

The Ceremony runs through October 5th and each production has a pre-or post-show element as well.