Henry ‘Box’ Brown, famous for escaping from slavery by mailing himself to freedom, has his story retold remarkably in this deft blend of magic, physical theatre and storytelling.
It is 1849 and Brown has just escaped a life of hardship, racism and exploitation, in an unbelievable feat of ingenuity and danger, spending 27 hours in a box no bigger than 3 x 2.5 feet. The framing of this event, in Blackbox, as an escapology routine, where the onstage magic gets bigger and better until Brown’s final trick, is a superb production choice, and one which replicates the man’s remarkable life.
Penned by hip-hop artist Rickerby Hinds, Hinds’s musicality comes through in this engrossing and highly lyrical piece, which disguises Brown’s (Josiah Alpher) story as a magic show, with the chain which Brown uses to escape as a clear and emotive symbol of the bounds of slavery he is attempting to shed. The piece chronicles Brown’s life from his upbringing, his horrific experiences as an enslaved man and his tender and moving connection with his wife Nancy (Jada Evelyn Ramsey).
What shines through here is the impressive theatricality of the piece. The decision to tell Brown’s story through the veil of a vaudevillian magic show is an inspired one, with the charm of Alpher’s portrayal, fizzing with energy and vigour, acutely disarming the audience before exposing the severity of Brown’s enslaved experiences with full force. In this, Alpher is outstanding. It is a charismatic performance and one which bursts with energy, with his onstage magic just as eye-catching as his performance skills. Hinds’s direction works well with Alpher’s performance here, enabling Alpher to fully control the presentation of Brown’s life, ironic given the restrictions he suffers.
Meanwhile, Jada Evelyn Ramsey, who multi-roles across the piece from Brown’s wife Nancy, to some of his brutal ‘evil masters’, a clever turn-of-phrase used by Hinds to again deflect the reality of the situation, but also befitting of Brown’s role here as a vaudevillian entertainer, where his language and entertainment euphemistcally describes reality, and through to his onstage illusion assistant, is outstanding. It is impossible to take your eyes off Ramsey’s performance, captivating in her ease to bend, twist, snarl and smirk in an instant, immediately switching from character to character in a manner which helps the piece keep its fizzing momentum while also maintaining the lyricism and musicality, in a physical sense, of Hinds’s work.
The production also leans heavily into Brown’s journey with his faith, and the conflict between religious belief and how it is utilised as a tool for oppressive power during slavery. Hinds’s incorporation of gospel soundscapes is poignant and emotive, and this combines neatly with the incorporation of real-life events, such as the uprising and execution of freedom fighter and preacher, Nat Turner, whom Alpher portrays with full force. It is a scene which goes on a bit too long, but the urgency of Turner’s preaching, contrasting with its bleak outcome, is a brutal reminder of the sacrifices those who stood up had to make.
The blending of the horror of slavery with the entertainment of a magic show is an interesting choice, and one which largely works. There are a few occasions where some of the magic is a little distracting, or too ‘blink, and you will miss it, where both Alpher and Ramsey are doing some separate but simultaneous work. The use of a paper human chain, made in a trick but then cut up, is a clever symbol of how illusion and reality combine here: the wonder of magic, and the pain of suffering.
Blackbox is an ambitious and intensely creative feat of theatre, cleverly using magic as a metaphor for the entrapment and emancipation of Brown, brought to the fore by a brilliant cast and creative team, and rightly bringing Brown’s inspiring life to the stage.
