“I feel like Reggie has kind of been a guardian angel throughout this whole thing, because it was at his memorial service that I finally met Ron Himes,” said Ashley Jenkins. “Roz White introduced and was like, ‘You’re looking for Ti Moune for ‘Once on This Island.’ This is Ashley.’ That wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for Reggie.”
Reggie Ray, longtime resident costume designer for the Black Rep and Howard University, passed away last fall. But in his passing he managed to once again have a hand in the Black Rep’s season finale – the grand musical production he usually costumed.
As Season 38 comes to the close with their production of Lynn Ahrens “Once on This Island” this week at Washington University’s Edison Theatre, Ray’s influence goes beyond connecting the show’s director with his lead actor.
“The most emotional thing for me was taking that step without Reggie,” said Luqman Salim.
After working for many years as Ray’s assistant, both at Howard U. and various theatre companies, he will be stepping into the role of costume designer for the first time at the Black Rep.
“When I first walked into the costume shop, the first thing that I saw was those three head dresses for the witches in ‘The Wiz,’” Salim said. “I was like, ‘Oh, God.’ Throughout this whole, this whole journey, I keep hearing Reggie say, ‘You better turn it!’ You know how he would look past those glasses. I feel like I’m constantly hearing him say, ‘Do what I taught you.’”
It’s fitting that the show’s star and costume designer both feel Ray’s spirit hovering over a production that focuses so heavily on spirits and death.
“Once on This Island” is a musical that tells the story of a peasant girl who saves a rich city boy and how their connection impacts the community and the spirit world on an island in the Caribbean.
“You are talking about the power of love against the power of death,” Jenkins said. “And it’s very relatable because it deals with social class, it deals with light skin versus dark skin and a lot of things that are happening and still relevant today.”
Salim and Jenkins both agree that production’s soul-stirring stretches beyond the storyline.
“They are going to be visually stimulated, not just with the costumes, but with the set also,” Jenkins said. “The colors are just so beautiful with the set design and the lighting design. And the music is so phenomenal. You just can’t sit still and not be moved.”
Salim is grateful that he has been entrusted to continue Ray’s legacy at the theatre.
“It’s definitely big shoes to fill, but I can honestly say – given all that I’ve learned from him – that I’m ready,” Salim said. “I’m in this to keep his dream going. I feel like Reggie would say, ‘I knew you can do it. So now I can rest.’”
Much like the character she portrays, Jenkins seems to have a sincere connection with the spirits around her, particularly in the spiritual serendipity she feels brought her to The Black Rep stage.
“I didn’t go to Howard, so I didn’t get a chance to study with Reggie,” Jenkins said. “He was the costume designer for one of the shows that I did in D.C., but I didn’t have such a close bond with him while he was alive. We knew each other in passing, but I still felt like he was watching. This whole time, I kind of feel like he had a hand in all of this.”
The Black Rep’s presentation of ‘Once on This Island’ continues through May 3 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, visit www.theblackrep.org or call (314) 534-3810.
