Reviewed by Judy Richter
It was some 8½ years ago that TheatreWorks
presented the
world premiere of "Memphis" in Mountain View. My review at the time concluded,
"The show does need some work, ... but it's very close to being ready to
move on to bigger venues, especially with this dynamite cast, exciting music
and first-rate creative team. It's a feel-good show that casts light on a
little-known aspect of American musical history."
After
becoming a smash on Broadwaywith several cast members from TheatreWorks, a
touring production of the show has come to its Silicon Valley birthplace to
open Broadway San Jose's fourth season. With it comes an array of 2010 awards, including
Tonys for Best Musical, Best Original Score (David Bryan and Joe DiPietro), Best Book (DiPietro) and Best
Orchestrations (Bryan and Daryl Waters). The cast and designers are totally different
from the original, and the show has undergone substantial revisions. Only about
half of its original songs remain, but the basic story, based on a concept by George
W. George, is
the same.
As
implied by the title, the show is set in Memphis during the 1950s, when
segregation was still deeply embedded in the South. The central character, Huey
Calhoun (Bryan Fenkart), is based on DJ Dewey Phillips, who is credited with introducing
rock 'n' roll to the American mainstream.
Huey,
a white high school dropout who can't read, happens to hear the music emanating
from a downstairs black nightclub on Beale Street in Memphis. He's so taken
with it that he decides it needs wider exposure. The fictionalized story takes
him from the record counter of a department store to a radio station where he
manages to play so-called race music. At each place, his white bosses are ready
to fire him, but the public response, especially from white teenagers, is so
great that he goes on to become one of the city's most popular DJs.
Along
the way, he also falls in love with the nightclub's star singer, Felicia
Farrell (Felicia Boswell), sister of its owner, Delray Jones (Horace V. Rogers). Neither the protective Delray
nor Huey's mother, Gladys Calhoun (Julie Johnson), approves of their
relationship. Neither do some rednecks who see them together in public and
attack them. Still, thanks in large part to Huey, Felicia becomes a famous
singer in her own right, leading to a chance to go to New York. She wants Huey
to join her, but he's too tied to Memphis to leave.
The
music and the singing, especially by Boswell, are terrific. Director Christopher
Ashley keeps the
action flowing smoothly. The choreography by Sergio Trujillo is both inventive and energetic,
well executed by the ensemble cast, starting with the opening number, "Underground." The onstage band is led by
Darryl Archibald
on keyboard. The sets are by David Gallo, with costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Howard Binkley and sound by Ken Travis.
The
acting also is noteworthy, especially by Boswell, Rogers and Johnson. Fenkart's
Huey is more problematic. Even though Huey is supposed to be a bit of a wild
man, Fenkart's portrayal is too manic, making him less sympathetic than he
should be.
Still,
there's no denying the overall power of this show, thanks in large part to its
music and dancing.