JOSIAH
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
✭✭✭✭✩
by Charles Robertson, directed by Jim Garrard
Thousand Miles of Bricks Productions, Alumnae Studio Theatre, 70 Berkeley Street, Toronto
Josiah Henson: “I’ll use my freedom well”
“There are two overwhelming reasons not to miss Josiah, now playing at the Alumnae Studio Theatre. One is to hear the amazing true story of Josiah Henson (1789-1883), a Canadian hero, who was born into slavery in the US, escaped to freedom in Canada and went on to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad where he helped 118 US slaves to freedom, including his own brother. The second reason is to see the terrific performance of Cassel Miles, who narrates and acts out the story playing an incredible 40 characters. It is a dramatic tour de force that in Miles’s hands seems easy and simply a natural part of the storytelling.”
The story of Josiah Henson is one that every Canadian should know. It is the remarkable tale of a man who trusted in his inner light to guide him through adversity. That a person could endure such physical and psychological trauma and not only survive but thrive is an example that everyone should have to provide a glimmer of hope in turbulent times. Henson’s story could not be more engagingly told than it is by a virtuoso storyteller like Cassel Miles. Miles last played in Toronto in 2019, so do see him while you can.
Christopher Hoile
Read the full review:
https://www.stage-door.com
