“Would you like this fine field hand for $900?” asked an auctioneer, pointing at a slave, played by actor Stephen Seals. The auctioneer, played by actress Adanma Onyedike, pointed at a person in the audience and announced a higher price. That was the first of multiple skits that involved audience participation at the Carpenter Science Theatre Company production North Star Light: Pathways to Freedom at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Occasionally, the actors came into the audience. In another skit, Onyedike played a slave hiding from her master. The actress jumped over empty audience seats, and hid between rows. When the master (Seals) woke up, he pointed at audience members and asked, “Have you seen my slave?”
A guitar player, the actor, and the actress played a few songs in another scene. After a few repetitions of the song, they urged the audience to get involved.
Of the 122 seats in the theater only seven were filled at the 12:30 p.m. performance of Pathways to Freedom. Was it because of the lunch hour?
Director Larry Gard said, “The opening performance had a packed audience. Sometimes we have an intimate audience too.”
The series of skits about slavery were educationally refreshing.
Janene Charbeneau, who works at the Richmond Convention Center and Visitors Bureau, said, “I love the special effects. I am always fascinated by it. I loved how they used the drawers for ice, rafts, and a map. Though they only have three actors what you take away from it is profound.”
The production featured a series of performances about different people’s biographies. Onyedike delivered a surprising monologue as Harriet Tubman. Actor, Seals, explained the life of Henry Box Brown, who mailed himself from Richmond to Pennsylvania.
Eventually Brown and his family were able to go to Canada and become free.
The actors also performed a funny skit about a mulatto woman who looked white and her husband. The husband urged her to get wrapped up in cloth to pretend to be a man so the duo could leave.
Seals also gave an emotional performance about a slave who nearly murdered four men who held him in bondage. The slave earned $350, and promised to pay $100 more for his freedom. However, his captors made it seem as if he had promised to pay much more than $100. The slave nearly killed them, but stopped because he did not want to commit murder.
The production also featured historical fiction. Onyedike also presented a story about a mother who ran away with her baby. She expected to cross a river. However, ice flows replaced a solid sheet of ice. Would the mother be able to save her child? Would she die crossing the ice? Would someone see the baby and help her?
The production lasted less than an hour. Most of the audience seemed to enjoy the play.
Matt Rowe, a VCU student, said it was a “great play, I did not expect something this entertaining, but rather a dry lecture.”
Donna Sharits of Richmond Motorcycle said, “It’s outstanding & remarkable that the play with three actors gave that emotion.”
Gary Lombardo said, “It was more musical than I expected. I thought there would be more depictions of dramatic events. I came to see it because I work for Terminix, who is sponsoring “Bugs!” and they told us about it.”