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It’s not a mere taste, as the title suggests…
It’s more than a three course meal…
Think more of a bottomless buffet…
For those of us who hear the sounds of soul music classics as if they were always in the ether, you can rely on Black Ensemble Theater (BET) to fill you up with happy nostalgia. It’s always quite a really happy meal, when it’s BET! This time though, in A Taste of Soul, BET makes the metaphor quite literal, and reminds of how the sounds of soul were part of the kitchen, cooking and extended family dinners.
Two master chefs narrate the story— and also do their part recreating the classics too, along with a talented cast of fellow triple threats who both invoke the sounds of soul classics with dazzling impersonation and also put their own imprimatur on their performances too. From Sam Cooke, to Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, to Sitting on a Dock in the Bay with Otis Redding and more—it’s a feast. We are like Peaches and Herb— REUNITED and we feel so good!
When the oven door opens we don’t know whether Al Green will step out or The Temptations. What we DO know is that the performer will be top shelf and charming.
A Large Cast Show for International Black Theater Festival
For BET regulars who, like this writer, always adore the more in-depth biopics told through song that is a BET staple, or the heaps of history and education in their productions like The Healing, the lite fare format of A Taste of Soul might not deliver the same level of satisfaction.
Transporting the show to the International Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem North Carolina may have presented especially difficult logistics. There was considerable delay to the start of the curtain, rumored to be due to tech issues. But if America’s Got Talent, BET has it exponential and this never fails.
For more information on the next festival visit the International Black Theatre Festival website.
If you are in or can get to Chicago, bookmark the Black Ensemble Theater website for productions that are predictable happiness-makers.
About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
