Memphis (The SOB Review)
Memphis (The SOB Review) - Shubert Theatre, New York, New York*** (out of ****)
If you like seeing all your money up on the stage, run, don't walk, to see Joe DiPietro and David Bryan's rhythmically-infused Memphis. With a whole heck of a lot of hockadoo, it's almost impossible to contain.
With slick, fast-paced direction from Christopher Ashley, rousing and impeccable cast, tuneful score, sizzling choreography (Sergio Trujillo) and a visually stunning scenic design (David Gallo) that's augmented with equally astonishing projections (Gallo and Shawn Sagady), Memphis is a dazzling destination worth the trip.
This original musical recounts the story of an outlandish white deejay Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball) who attempts to mainstream Beale Street's rhythm and blues and in the process falls in love with one of its top singing denizens Felicia Ferrell (Montego Glover), who happens to be black. Set against the segregated fifties, that makes Huey both a musical pioneer and a trailblazer in flouting the era's ridiculous laws against what was shamefully referred to as miscegenation.
DiPietro brilliantly captures the inherent danger of this time in Tennessee all too well. The risk of two individuals of different colors kissing, let alone even holding hands, could result in tremendous injury or worse. And given the world headlines one neanderthal justice of the peace in Louisiana recently garnered for refusing to marry one such couple, not to mention the ongoing debate over another type of marriage, Memphis resonates on so many levels.
If the second act doesn't exactly measure up to the thoroughly captivating first, it's because it becomes confoundingly incongruous, particularly via a conclusion that defies credulity. And while the story may have you thinking Dreamgirls for its depiction of the rise of R&B and Hairspray for its forthright bridging of our nation's racial divide, Memphis is, if not entirely fresh, a solid crowd pleaser that will have you cheering nevertheless.
Two principal reasons are Kimball and Glover. When I last saw Kimball, he was portraying Milky White -- a cow, no less -- in the wonderful 2002 revival of Into the Woods. Although he's had two other Broadway roles since, Memphis enables him to truly prove his mettle and then some. With a folksy swagger that's a bit reminiscent of Christian Slater, Kimball's Huey is a great ball of fire who can't be extinguished. Then there's Glover's Felicia in which we witness an amazing ascent both for a captivating character and an immensely impassioned new Broadway star. Glover took my breath away.
It's been said that at the very heart of the genre known as rock and roll, you'll find soul. Fortunately, the boundless soul within Memphis has the power to rock your heart.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Chad Kimball, Christopher Ashley, David Bryan, Joe DiPietro, Memphis, Montego Glover, Musical, Sergio Trujillo, The SOB Review
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, November 03, 2009
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