Blackbox – Underbelly Cowgate
This is the true story of Henry "Box" Brown, the enslaved African-American who, in 1849, mailed himself to freedom in the North in a wooden box measuring just 3 feet by 2.5, in which he had to remain quietly, and not always right side up, for 27 hours.
This adaptation by Rickerby Hinds (who also directs) draws on Brown's own autobiographical writings, published as Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown Written by Himself, to tell his story. As such, it is mostly monologue form (performed by Josiah Alpher as Brown, with Jada Evelyn Ramsey as Spirit and chorus) combined with partially live gospel soundscapes and, reflecting Brown's later career, stage magic.
Though the play starts and ends with the box which is so central to this show (not to mention the man's name), it is really...