The Revels Repertory Company (Revels Rep) will perform "There's a Meeting Here Tonight" on Saturday in Cohen Auditorium, telling the story of the Hutchinson Family Singers, a famous 19th-century American singing group.
Kay Dunlap, the Revels Rep director, will give a free pre-performance talk at 7 p.m., ahead of the 7:30 p.m. performance.
In their show, the Revels Rep will recreate a post-Civil War Hutchinson family reunion in which the family members convene in their Milford, N.H., home to share stories and experiences.
The real Hutchinson quartet used its fame and music to advance social causes (move over, Bono), and the actors, too, perform songs about topical issues of the (19th-century) day, such as emancipation, women's suffrage and temperance. They also sing spirituals, songs about the Civil War and numbers by popular composers like Stephen Foster.
Though the meeting is a family affair, a hodgepodge of interesting and well-known historical figures show up at this jovial gathering.
Frederick Douglass, played by Milton Wright, joins the family in its night of storytelling and song. The famous freed slave, who lived down the street from a store run by some of the Hutchinsons, recalls his appearances with the singers at rallies and re-enactments of one of his anti-slavery speeches.
Another person of note in attendance is P.T. Barnum (Walter Locke), the celebrated showman and, more relevantly, a founding trustee of Tufts University and owner of the original Jumbo.
Barnum is the master of ceremonies for the evening and ensures the crowd's entertainment by toting his latest attraction, "The Phenomenon" (Len Solomon). This one-man band and juggler hails from New York and promises to delight audiences with his skillful antics.
But the most exciting members of the Hutchinson family reunion's guest list will come from the audience. Those who intend to sit back, relax and enjoy the show, beware: The Revels Rep fully intends to incorporate theatergoers into the lively, musical evening.
"There's a Meeting Here Tonight" is appropriate for adults and children ages six and up. Tickets are $12 for children and Tufts students and $20 for adults. They can be purchased online at revels.org.
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by Rebecca Santiago
