Reggie Harris ~ 2023 February 18 ~ Applause Academy, Taunton, MA
Scroll to below video for a review of the show.
Video ... if a problem with viewing, go to Youtube and search by performer and date; the Youtube account is in the name "nicepace"
The Welcome Table
Review
Tonight's program by Reggie Harris was a concert, it was an educational presentation, and it was the telling of a personal history, all in celebration of Black History Month. Reggie was up on stage for close to two hours. In the first set he performed a number of traditional songs, Gospel and folk songs, telling bits of the stories of Black people in America. He showed clips from an audiovisual presentation that he has prepared, highlighting moments from the civil rights movement. He described scenes from his own personal history and how that was woven into the larger story of the civil rights movement; for instance, he imitated his mother's call for "Reginald!" for him to come in from playing baseball to watch the TV broadcast of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s March on Washington.
In the second set Reggie played a couple of original songs, including "Hickory Hill," which describes his meeting with a distant cousin. Both he and the cousin are descended from Williams Carter Wickham, a 19th century Virginia plantation owner, who fathered children by one of the enslaved women on the plantation. Reggie has been introduced to his cousins on the other side of the family. He told the emotional (sometimes very funny) story of his meetings with his white cousins. All in all, the evening was profoundly moving as well as musically entertaining.
The Applause Academy in Taunton, Mass., according to their website, is a "non-profit youth theatrical organization. Our purpose is to inspire creativity through musical theater, dance and music so that each child can reach their full potential in the performing arts in a safe, non-competitive environment." The auditorium is very comfortable, with folding padded chairs and rows that slope upward so that everyone has a good view. A good sized crowd was there to be entertained and informed by this superb singer of songs and teller of history.