In September 2020, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie published her essay Notes On Grief, three months after the death of her beloved father, James Nwoye Adichie. Director Rae McKen has adapted Ngozi Adichie’s meditations on grief for the stage, breathing new life into her words in an intriguing performance for Manchester International Festival.

Michelle Asante powerfully delivers what is essentially a ninety-minute soliloquy, with the help of Uche Abuah and Itoya Osagiede, who play the rest of Ngozi Adichie’s family and help her on her journey through remembrance and mourning. Michelle is the medium through which we experience Ngozi Adichie’s loss, and we accompany her on her painful confrontation with grief; where denial, rage, confusion, acceptance, reminiscence and remembering are shared with us in vulnerability and intimacy; a glitchy, overbearing screen hangs in the back reminding us of the double-isolating effect Covid has had on the grieving process, and detachment and isolation frame the mourning experience. It is, however, an unusual performance in the sense that there is no plot or climax, and is more like a recital of Ngozi Adichie’s essay.

Additionally, because of the highly subjective perspective the play is written from, many of the anecdotes and memories shared with us come across a little over-sentimental. I did wonder what value the play brought to the essay; why not create an audio-based project instead? Upon reflection, I feel that the theatrical expression of grief, and the invitation to the audience to share in this vulnerability, is the value that McKen’s production adds to the essay; bolstered by the understanding that grief is a universal human experience, and the familiarity of the subject matter makes up for the unconventional scripting and form.

Despite it’s constraints, the play brings the grieving journey to a poignant close, with Ngozi Adichie’s character coming to terms with the loss she has faced. Rage dissipates into resigned acceptance and we are reminded that while grief never gets smaller, we grow around and with it; we survive it and we understand that one day we will also die, and so the cycle of grief will continue, and this is part of life itself.

Name of Production: Notes on Grief

Year of Production: 2021

Cast: 
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Michelle Asante

Uche Abuah

Itoya Osagiede.

Director: Rae McKen

Writer: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Music/Composer: Composer & Sound Designer

Designer/Lighting Designer: Simeon Miller

Producers/Production Company: Richard Morgan

Set & Costume Designer: Rosa Maggiora

Movement Director: Yami Löfvenberg

| Check out more from Manchester International Festival | See more from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie |

| Reviewed by Inaya Hussain | See more Off/Stage review bytes on IG |