One Noble Journey at NC Stage Co.
North Carolina Stage Co.’s season opener, One Noble Journey, brings the past to life.
Written and performed by Mike Wiley, the play could easily have fallen off the rails, as certain one-man shows are wont to do. However, this play features no such stumbling. The set is simple — just one crate in the center of the stage — and the story is told through Wiley’s use of different vocal inflections and simple props as he literally and figuratively wears many hats.
The 75-minute play is based on the true story of Henry Box Brown, an enslaved man who escaped to a free state in 1848, with a parallel story of married couple Ellen and William Craft running for freedom in the 1840s. The Crafts’ story also includes a wild idea, with light-skinned Ellen posing as a sickly white man and William as her slave, as they travel using the rail lines.
What could have been a downer becomes something far richer in the hands of Wiley, who opens the performance up for audience participation with bits of improv sprinkled in. To quote the artist from his post-show talkback, “The moments of humor open the heart up to receiving serious moments. The humanity that people bring to the moments make sure that the audience walks away in hope, not despair.”
In addition to the minimalist set, Michael Betts III’s projected images of illustrations from the 1800s lend ambiance without being obtrusive. Included in the playbill is a reading list and questions to consider after leaving the theater. This is one of the few plays I’ve covered this year that would be appropriate for children to see, as it opens up important conversations, ranging from the obvious (slavery) to the more nuanced (colorism).
One Noble Journey: A Box Marked Freedom runs through Sunday, Sept. 18, at North Carolina Stage Co., with Friday through Sunday shows live streamed. For details and tickets, visit ncstage.org.
(Photo by Chris Charles)
