By Bart Greenberg***The gentle and spiritual Meg Flather celebrated the release of her new CD, Walk Home, with a lovely show of the same namebat Don’t Tell Mama. Largely devoted to the female singer-songwriters who have inspired her 
musical journey, it also featured songs she has recently written, some in collaboration with her husband, Jamie Rogers. Working with her usual excellent team of director Lennie Watts and music director Tracy Stark, she created a tremendously moving evening filled with contrasting moments that fully exposed many aspects of her personality.
The choice of “Morning Morgantown” (Joni Mitchell) was a perfect selection for an opening number, demonstrating Flather’s warmth and sly sense of humor. Proving her versatility, in the next song, “Left of Center” (Suzanne Vega, Steve Addabbo), a far edgier personality emerged. The inspiration for the album and this show was the 
songs she listened to as she took long strolls during the pandemic lockdown. The title tune ,“Walk Home”, by the married couple, is a beautiful tribute to moving forward with wonderfully specific imagery.
Throughout the program, Flather used the entire space, varying the stage picture for emotional impact. This is a trademark of Watts’ direction, avoiding the static view that harms so many cabaret shows. Such numbers as “Goodbye Again” (Mary Chapin Carpenter) and a medley of her own “Grateful As I Reach for You” and Phoebe Snow’s “Something Real” (reflecting on her marriage) were filled with impactful emotion. 
Speaking of using the space, she even demonstrated that she was limber enough to climb up onto the piano as she delivered her life-affirming song, “Don’t Age Me.”
Flather shared another of her and her husband’s compositions, “Fall Down,” with Stark creating lovely harmonies. To bring the show to a close, the star offered a beautifully-constructed version of “Make Your Own Kind of Music” (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) that began at a soft and sincere level and slowly grew to a joyous celebration. But then joyous is a constant emotion when you take a walk with Meg Flather.
Photos by Conor Weiss
