Review: An Emotionally Affecting IN OLD AGE at Arts Emerson

Theatergoers who have come to love and respect Abasiama Bassey a central character in the emotionally resonant nine-part Ufot Family Cycle by first-generation Nigerian American playwright Mfoniso Udofia, will not want to miss the deeply moving “In Old Age,” the eighth and penultimate play in the Cycle, this one produced by Front Porch Arts Collective and presented by ArtsEmerson at Boston’s Emerson Paramount Center through June 28.

The drama was developed and given its world premiere at Magic Theatre in San Francisco, under the leadership of the company’s then artistic director Loretta Greco, who now holds that position at The Huntington, in the spring of 2019. That same year, “In Old Age” had its off-Broadway premiere at New York Theatre Workshop.

In the play, Abasiama, played with quiet dignity by Ebony Marshall-Oliver, is widowed and in her 80s, living a solitary life in the Ufot family home in Worcester. Her off-canvas daughter Toyoima hires Louisiana native and skilled carpenter Azell Abernathy (a spot-on Marvin Bell), a church-going character in his ‘60s or early ‘70s and new to the Ufot Family Cycle, to help Abasiama restore her home. His arrival unsettles her, throwing off the solitary balance she has carved out for herself. Over the full week that he regularly visits her home, Abasiama realizes that Azell’s presence is testing her patience and her willingness to break old patterns and return to living in the moment.

Under the thoughtfully rendered direction of Dawn M. Simmons – co-founder of the Porch and now artistic director of SpeakEasy Stage Company who two years ago directed “Sojourners,” the first play in the Cycle at The Huntington – “In Old Age” is a beautifully essayed two-hander about elders who find not only companionship, but the courage to again fully embrace life as they once had. At the outset, the pair are commencing a business relationship with Azell always arriving on time, ready to work and toting flooring samples for Abasiama’s to consider for the home’s much -needed new flooring. Indeed, when a hole opens in the living room floor it becomes clear that the home repairs are coming not a moment too soon.

A non-working grandfather clock stands at the back of the room with its stillness denoting that time has all but stopped for the one remaining occupant of this one-time family home. The clock is just one of the well-chosen props, which also include authentic boxes of new flooring samples, assembled by Elektra Newman for scenic designer Jeffrey Peterson’s comfortable if slightly dilapidated home. The creaking boards and other signs of decline are manifested in the expert sound design by Arshan Gailus.

Marshall-Oliver’s Abasiama sits in the middle of the house looking staring forward while the past encroaches as if preparing to consume her. And so, the character is unsure how to handle the hustle bustle that comes whenever Azell enters her home with ideas for its update. For the aging handyman, the job represents a lifeline to continuing his career and sustaining his place in the world.

Like so many people of advancing age, Abasiama and Azell find their lives increasing subsumed by memories and thoughts of the past. Options for staying connected to the present, however, come in various forms from family to social service programs like community centers for the aging population and meals on wheels. With her beautifully written, “In Old Age.” Udofia details another, and perhaps the most significant, way to invigorate life at any stage – maintaining an open mind to new experiences,  and keeping an open heart to sharing them with new people.

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