MEMPHIS: A New Musical

Last month, on Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, I saw the traveling Broadway show: «Memphis –The Musical.»
I may spoil the corny fictional story, for you a bit, you know I have to. Sometime in the1950s, there was a white boy, who met a black girl, in an underground Rock’n’Roll bar/​dance club, in segregated Memphis, Tennessee! And the story goes, I have to admit, I didn’t see that ending coming, it ruined the whole story!
— play: Great period piece, but unpredictable and lame ending.
— Songs: Great, but still, none the less, not memorable. Many of which, rage against racial racism!
— Voices: Great. Actually not great, A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
— Choreography: Great.
Overall, unimpressed! I’m not sure if I would pay the full price for it. I bought a living social deal, 4 plays for $ 87!
Three and half Unilocal

Pros:
(+) Excellent performance, entertaining all the way
(+) Venue is beautiful
(+) Staff is friendly
(+) Show ran smoothly
(+) Sound is crisp
(+) Great view from any seat
Cons:
(-) Seating is a bit tight at the venue. So dress comfortably.
(-) Getting to the restroom is awkward (so go to the bathroom before coming here)
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About the Show:
I came here for my friend’s birthday and we had such a great time! She wanted to watch it based on reviews for it winning Tony Awards and Best Musical. We were so glad we decided to come after hearing the reviews because the show was great! Very entertaining from beginning to end. The music was great! We definitely enjoyed ourselves. It also helped that I love the style back in the 1950’s! =) Would we watch it again? Absolutely!
About the Venue:
The Shubert Theatre was beautiful. Loved the ceiling. You have a good view just about anywhere you seat. The sound was crisp! The stair cases are very steep so watch your step. The bathrooms are difficult to get to… having to walk down stairs, then back up the stairs just to use the bathroom? So use the restroom before you come here. The seating is a bit tighter than a movie theatre… so I would suggest not to bring your oversized coats and bags… unless you don’t mind putting it on your lap throughout the entire show… or place it on the dirty floor (yuck!) and deal with having to move it every time someone needs to walk by you. Keep in mind the aisles are tight so not enough room to stretch your legs out. Whatever you’re wearing, make sure you’re comfortable since there isn’t much leg room. This might not be an issue to everyone, but for people who are tall, it may be. But no negative stars taken for any of this since it has nothing to do with the performance of the show. This is just a little FYI for all that come to see this show.

I so enjoyed every minute of this show .It was fun, What a lovely Musical, the show itself was very moving, and the performers were A OK. Would love to see it again to be honest .I have seen a lot of Broadway shows but this one for some reason is quite special”.Memphis «You Rock.

Memphis is on the Road… and came to Boston.
What a great musical. The cast was great, the music was moving and original. After the show we all discussed it and put this in our top ten musicals.

3.5 Stars, but ill be nice.
:THE GOOD:
The Singing. I have heard a lot of singing, especially in musicals. And the lead male and female vocals in Memphis have to be the BEST I have ever heard. The female vocal was outstanding and every time she sang she got a standing ovation. Amazing. The male vocal had a very raspy soulful quality and had me in the audience quoting a scene from Coming to America «that white boy can sang»
:THE NOT-​SO GOOD:
The storytelling dragged in the middle. There was a part that I dosed off on. Its like Memphis lost a little steam somewhere in the middle, but quickly picked it up again towards the end.
Would I see Memphis again? Absolutely. I would even learn the words to the songs so I could singalong. Maybe that’s not a good idea after all. Scratch that.

I’ve seen a lotta Broadway shows, but Memphis is waayyy up there for best musical I’ve ever seen in my life.
It’s won a bunch of Tony’s and is critically acclaimed by everyone who goes. I don’t want to ruin the plot, but let’s just say the experience is incredible.
The theater itself is small, but cozy. The staff is friendly and everyone there, including the cast, seems to be having a jolly time.
If you can’t choose between which Broadway show to see, hit up Memphis.

What a great show! All the dancing and singing! In a typical «I go to the theater with my mom and all the understudies are performing» style, I have to admit, we weren’t disappointed. The set was great and the actors were wonderful. SInce the show wasn’t sold out, we were able to move to the front of the mezzanine during intermission. The seats were wonderful! I would definitely recommend this show for a good time!

Ordinarily, this musical would be a 5 rating as it is one of my favorites. Montego Glover was her usual top performer, vocalist, actress, and entertainer as Felicia Farrell — she definitely carried the show. Derrick Baskin was great as Gator and James Monroe Iglehart as Bobby. Unfortunately the usual Huey was not in the show, which the net result was that it (that role) lacked «soul.» The rest of the cast and the show itself is still exciting and wonderful.

Great musical about a white DJ in 50’s Memphis that is enthralled with African American music and culture, and the clashes of racial politics. Co-​written by the keyboardist of Bön Jovi, these cats really got the sound of R&B down! Kudos to the on-​stage band for pulling it off.
The main lead on ²⁄₁₇ was understudy, Kevin Massey, who killed it. James Monroe Iglehart had a great voice, and Montego Glover as the female lead, Felicia, had her moments. The musical is mostly light hearted, but with race involved, there are some tense moments.
Great dancing and singing, and the small band is on stage most of the night. Get seats in the lower level of the Shubert so you can see all the action, as I was in the Balcony, and some staging did not translate up there. Highly recommended. And it won a Tony… A TONY!

Hockadoo! This musical is one of the most riveting and spirited performances I’ve ever seen on Broadway. My boyfriend took me to see Memphis for my birthday and I could not have been more thrilled with this show. It had everything I love about a Broadway musical: singing, dancing, top-​notch vocals, romance, drama and best of all, you have actors who are on stage lovin’ every moment they are up there performing for the audience. It’s very apparent with this cast. I was especially thrilled to go because my favorite Broadway actor, Adam Pascal has taken over the role of Huey. He was the original lead in RENT as Roger and also the original lead in Aida. I have had the pleasure of seeing him in both those shows and his voice is a soulful and spine-​shivering as always. Amazing.
The showstopper was James Monre Iglehart as Bobby. This guy sort of reminds me of Heavy D because he’s a big man who is surprisingly light on his feet. This guy was breakin’ it down like I’ve never seen! Doing splits and complicated dance moves, I was amazed! Wow! And his singing was just as powerful.
Montego Glover as Felicia well. what can I say, this woman has some pipes! She captivated the audience with her sultry looks and that voice! She just effortlessly sings with her whole body and soul. It was really moving and gave me the chills! I was glued to this show throughout the entire performance.
The love story between Huey and Felicia was especially heartfelt for me. It was gripping and moving. Basically, if you want to be completely entertained and wow’d, GO SEE THIS SHOW! If not for any other reason, go to see Montego Glover’s amazing arms and legs! haha Great show!

«Never let anyone steal your Rock ‘n Roll»
This show is a MUST SEE! To date, Memphis is hands down my favorite Broadway production. It surpassed my wildest expectations — I’d give it 10 stars if I could!
The play is set in segregated Memphis, TN during the soulful but troubled 1950’s. From the get go, racial tension manifests itself and the tone is set on the harsh and ugly realities of second class citizenship. The script isn’t watered down so be prepared to hear some offensive language. [Re: Black Americans world pre-​Civil Rights Movement]. It really hits home, however, I thought the writers did well to masterfully marry pensive reflections, with the right dose of whim and comedic elements. It balanced the mood of the play PERFECTLY. I laughed, cried, scowled, cheered — oh lordy, I was a glass case of emotion!
Regarding the cast, song and dance numbers, costumes, set design etc — I could go on for days! There really is no way to summarize the magnificence of it all. You really just have to see it for yourself!
Never before have I been THIS moved by a play. Right now I’m listening to the soundtrack which is something I never do. I’m usually over the songs once I see the play, but clearly such isn’t the case with Memphis. Heaven knows I’ll pay to see this masterpiece again and again.
!
Other notes:
— As of 1÷17÷2012, tickets are on sale from
.
— I sat G4 mezz and my view was fantastic! [Hint hint: I actually purchased cheap $ 26.50 balcony tix but weekday turnout was low so I got upgraded to mezz.]
— Cheap parking: Fast Edison lot on W44th bet 5^th and 6^th. $ 12 for 12 hours. Be sure to print coupon from website. Credit card payment only!

What’s not to love? It’s got catchy music, talented performers, and the choreography was well done!
It’s a shame I wasn’t able to see the original Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball stepped down in October 2011) however, Adam Pascal was fantastic as well. Montego Glover is extremely talented and I loved her performance! She also has some serious guns for arms!
Go see it!

Amazing voices! There is no surprise that this musical one Best Musical in 2009. You can expect to see wonderful performances from everyone in the cast.
It’s a small theatre with only two stalls on the second floor. Make sure to go to the bathroom before or hurry and get in line during intermission.

This is a fantastic show. Great music, great story, great history lesson for those of us who didn’t live through segregation. The actors give it their all — we were amazed at how much passion they put into it. It seemed like opening night, but the show has been running for about 2 years!
Go see it if you possibly can!

I’ve never seen Jersey Boys so I can’t comment on how this compares but I did enjoy it very much. We had seen Billy Elliot the previous night and I thought Memphis was a better production than Billy Elliot. The performers were all top notch, especially the Chad Kimball, who transformed himself into Huey Calhoun.
The songs were enjoyable and the plot was easy to follow. You couldn’t help but root for the main characters.
It was awesome that we were able to get discounted tickets through TKTS, which made both my wallet and me happy.

This was my first Broadway experience and it rocked my socks off. Hubsters bought us center orchestra tickets and the view of the stage was AMAZING! Seats aside, the music was excellent. I loved how small the theater is so that all the seats are relatively close to the stage.
I’m used to seeing musicals at the Orpheum in SF and that venue is obscenely large.
The musical itself was unforgettable. The singers were awesome. Since this musical just opened in the last two years, we still got to see the original Broadway cast.
Post show, they were nice enough to come out to sign playbills and take pictures. :)
Highly recommended!!!

There’s a reason why this show has the honor of being the 2010 Tony winner for best musical. It’s got the perfection of a super talented cast coupled with impeccable set design and great music.
Unlike so many musicals where each of these segments run independent of each other, Memphis does an amazing job of melding it all together to create a rich atmosphere and experience that you can really get lost in.
Numerous characters you can connect with and root for and a well written story bring it all together to leave you completely satisfied. This is a full meal deal here.
The Shubert Theater is a perfect venue with barely any bad seats in the house.
If you like how In The Heights transported you to a specific time and place while captivating you fully in its placement, Memphis achieves much of the same magic of teleporting you to a place and time that oozes charm Memphis, Tennessee circa 1950. You’ll love this show. Go and see it soon. Full of well choreographed dance sequences and great songs both solos and ensemble pieces.

This is the most incredible show I have seen in years. The talent on the stage is hard to believe. This show is absolutely non stop with a combination of music, dancing and acting that is mesmerizing. Memphis is worth every penny you pay and then sum.
The Shubert Theater is a wonderful venue at least if you are in the orchestra seats. My only complaint is that drinks are outrageously expensive with a very parsimonious pour.
Not a problem for me but if where a woman during the intermission I would run like the devil was step behind me to get in line for the bathrooms. The lines were extensive to say the least.

I had heard that this show won the 2010 for Best Musical, but other than that, didn’t know much else. I’m a big Broadway fan, so my friend and I bought student rush tickets yesterday. Our seats were in the box, so the first half of the show we didn’t have much of a view, but that’s what you get with $ 26.50 tickets. During the second half, one of the ushers let us sit in the mezzanine, so we got to sit in seats worth $ 131.50!
It’s another story of race relations in America but with great characters, singing, and dancing… and definitely not what I expected. The storyline grabbed me and I was so touched I actually cried! I love that this is a show where you don’t need a Hollywood star to keep you engaged.
Now I’ll say that Jersey Boys is still my favorite show…

Gee, it’s hard to believe this musical was playing for months in Mountain View close to my home over six years ago, and I never knew it. I still had not heard of it when I decided to buy tickets to see the show at the fabled Shubert Theatre, longtime home of «A Chorus Line», the «Chicago» revival and most recently, «Spamalot». «Memphis» doesn’t look like it’s going to break the theatre’s winning streak any time soon since the house was packed with enthusiastic tourists and locals alike six months into its run. Pretty good considering it has a no-​name cast and boasts a score by Bön Jovi keyboardist David Bryan.
It’s entertaining and superficial (luckily, in that order) as the skin-​deep story (pardon the pun) revolves around the emerging popularity of black music (known back then with condescension as «race records») within the white mainstream of the Eisenhower era. Its setting in Memphis, home of the blues and Elvis, also means the inherent racism is played out, including an interracial love story between the two lead characters — Huey Calhoun, an illiterate high school dropout whose love for black music makes him Memphis’ most popular radio DJ, and Felicia Farrell, a talented singer whom Calhoun wants to introduce to a broader audience than can be afforded in her brother Delray’s Beale Street club.
I liked the show a lot but have to admit there may be too much story presented to provide the underlying themes real justice. There are episodes of racism, one in particular that culminates into violence, but for the most part, it’s soft-​pedaled and skimmed over for the next production number. It’s not a bad approach given the talent of the cast, but it’s not a consistently satisfying one if you are looking for any deeper insight into the history of the music and the culture driving it. Sometimes the story has the subtlety of one of those low-​budget educational films made in the 1950’s warning about the Red Scare.
The music is mostly serviceable but engaging enough to carry the story. Chad Kimball is a decent singer but a quirky presence as Calhoun, and he frankly takes time to warm up to since he seems to be posturing and laying on a thick-​as-​molasses Southern accent. Montego Glover is an excellent singer and quite affecting as Felicia, but the budding romance between the characters feels strangely tentative given that this is what drives the narrative set out by Joe DiPietro’s book. Cass Morgan as Calhoun’s initially racist mother and James Monroe Iglehart as Bobby, the radio station janitor turned pop singer, stand out among the supporting cast.