April 19, 2022 Submitted by Paul Cappers
The Hingham Singers will present a 45-minute concert version of Paul Kenwood Cappers' original musical, Weetamoo and the King, at the Hingham Congregational Church, 378 Main Street, on Saturday afternoon, May 7, at 4:00 PM.
This concert version of the musical features many of the original songs from the complete show, with narration explaining the plot substituting for the dialog. The Hingham Singers is honored to have Hingham Select Board Chair Joe Fisher as the narrator. In addition to The Hingham Singers, the Wompatuck Senior Orchestra, which also rehearses weekly in HIngham, will perform several favorite orchestral works to round out the program. The concert has no admission charge. A free-will offering for any who wish to contribute will go to the Pokanoket Tribe to which Weetamoo and King Philip belonged.
Set in the early 17th century in what was to become southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Weetamoo and the King tells the story of the Pokanoket Nation, the Indigenous people of the area. Their history progresses from a happy stasis of approximately 8000 people in 1600, prior to the arrival of European settlers, to about 400 in 1676 at the end of King Philip's War …7600 people (95%) gone in 76 years! History reveals that European diseases were not the only explanation for this incredible loss.
Who was Weetamoo, who was the king; and what was their role in the Pokanoket history? Weetamoo was an important female sachem and military general of the Pokanoket group, and Philip, A.K.A Metacom, became the leader of the rebellion against the English settlers. The colonists gave him the moniker of "King Philip," and the rebellion became known in history as King Philip's War. Many sources state that this war killed more people in this area, per capita of their contemporary population, than any other war in United States history.
Even a cursory look around New England will find the names of the Pokanoket people in many places: King Philip High School in Wrentham; King Philip Middle School in Norton; Massasoit Junior College in Brockton (Ousamequin/Massasoit was the father of Philip); Metacomet Elementary School in Bloomfield, Connecticut; Weetamoo Woods in Tiverton, Rhode Island. In the extensive research Dr. Cappers did when creating the musical, he found the historical record left by Indigenous, Pilgrim, and English sources to be remarkably aligned. The musical is based upon these facts, and it tells the intriguing story of the interaction of these two cultures during this 76-year period of our history.
The second part of the program will feature the Wompatuck Senior Orchestra, also conducted by Dr. Cappers. They will play the closing chorale from J.S. Bach’s cantata, Ein Feste Burg, the Overture to the Royal Fireworks by G.F. Handel, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture, and a medley from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. The 4:00 free concert on May 7 combines entertainment with actual history through a variety of musical styles.
How exciting! Looking forward to learning from, as well as enjoying, this concert.