In March 2026, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine announced that, for the first time, over 100,000 babies were born through IVF in the U.S. in a single year. But what that headline-grabbing statistic didn’t reveal is what it cost. Not just financially, but emotionally and physically. Mfoniso Udofia’s creation stories and all the important importants enters the eye of the storm, weaving Nigerian myths with the demands of Western capitalism through the lens of thegrownwoman, an anti-archetype determined to bring a child into the world.
But as anyone who’s lived long enough can attest, things rarely go as planned. Through Abigail C. Onwunali’s powerhouse performance, we bear witness to the self-reflection, grief, and rage that come with a body (or a higher power) that fails to cooperate.
It wants better content.
The anti-archetype and her chorus of selves
Udofia recently completed an unrelated nine-play series, the Ufot Family Cycle, tracking three generations of a Nigerian American family. Here she distills her focus into a solitary yet transcendent narrative, framed by thegrownwoman’s inner child (Savannah Commodore as the little girl), joined by a rapping horse (Donnetta Lavinia Grays), an mfon ekpo spirit, and deep cuts to the Aristotelian principles of playwriting.
If those references seem like a lot, consider them an invitation to lean in, not shut down. Under Tamilla Woodard’s direction, a warmth envelops the space, aided by ethereal design elements, particularly Katherine Freer’s projections, which bring an animated, otherworldly energy to the storytelling.
Udofia’s script specifies that thegrownwoman’s spoken commands are “never narrative,” but a way to manifest her day. And in a heartbreaking moment, we understand her:
…even as a small girl, she carried an unshakable certainty: the life laid out before her could not contain the whole of her potential.
creation stories and all the important importants
I do not have children. I have never wanted children. But when thegrownwoman laments, “It’s been 5 cycles. I’m a dumpster of medicine,” audible, knowing gasps rippled through the audience. Udofia has sent the invitation, regardless of your own lived experience. I suggest you open it.
Is ‘creation stories and all the important importants’ worth seeing?
Mfoniso Udofia spins Ibibio myth, Aristotle and a rapping horse into a wildly inventive fertility odyssey, with Abigail C. Onwunali’s ferocious, wide-open performance carrying creation stories to a place where grief, rage and wonder share the same breath.
- Claire Tow Theater (LCT3), 150 West 65th Street, New York City
- Notable performers: Abigail C. Onwunali, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Savannah Commodore
- Running time: One hour and 35 minutes, no intermission
- Performances through November 1, 2026
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