Press

I’ve been a fan of Abigail C. Onwunali for some time now as an actress. She possesses a gravitas that is afforded to very few people, and when I was gifted the chance to read her latest work, I was blown away. Her voice is equal parts lyrical and muscular. Her storytelling honors Wole Soyinka’s legacy while embracing the 21st century. And she breathes life into the complexity, strength, and true vulnerability of us Nigerian women in ways I have rarely seen on any stage.

NYTW has a long tradition of producing the Off-Broadway debuts of essential generative artists. Abigail Onwunali joins that notable cohort with a modern take on epic Nigerian lore. Her voice bursts off the page with a vivid assuredness. Blood Be Sweet has a hunger in its belly.

Abigail was in the very first season of the Hillman Grad mentorship lab and I’ve been following her journey ever since. What a joy it is to come on board her play. This feels like a full circle moment.

Onwunali’s Martha blazes with charisma: Her spirit burns like a tongue of fire.

In Debbie Allen’s production, Martha eclipses the rest of the show — she could almost be starting a new play of her own.

What if a woman were the promised one? In one penetrating shout, Onwunali suggests an answer.

We had to stop the audition, because her energy was still in the room after she left.

Set in 2009, ‘The Grove’ is focused on Adiaha, an ambitious young writer played by Abigail C. Onwunali, who nearly sets the Wimberly Theatre stage on fire with her impassioned performance.

From start to lump-in-the-throat finish, Onwunali makes us feel the weight of that choice.

Abigail C. Onwunali’s performance as Abasiama is just extraordinary. While traversing a vast spectrum of emotions, Onwunali manages to be compelling at each point on that spectrum.

The ensemble as a whole is formidable, but Abigail C. Onwunali’s Edgar demands particular attention. Her voice is an instrument of rare depth and resonance, something felt as much as heard, capable of rattling bone. I want to hear her speak anything, anywhere, for as long as she will allow us the pleasure of that talent.