Memphis the Musical takes you back to the 1950s, centered on the Memphis-based disc jockey Dewey Phillips and his aspiration to play black music to the white audience in the South. He was noted to be one of the earliest white rock and roll DJs who wanted to bring traditional black music to the forefront of the general music scenario. The musical can be said to loosely follow the story pattern of Dewey Phillips’ life accounts, with its music and lyrics written by David Bryan, while the book and lyrics have been written by Joe DiPietro. The hit Broadway musical has been privileged with the filming for a theatrical release while performing on regular schedule, by Broadway Worldwide, which intended to play the musical in digital cinemas. This film production was exhibited throughout the nation in April, May 2011.
Initially Memphis the Musical was staged in Beverly, Massachusetts at the North Shore Music Theatre and in Mountain View, California at the TheatreWorks during the 2003-2004 seasons. The show premiered on Broadway productions in 2009, October and in 2010 took the prestigious Tony Awards for Best Orchestrations, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Musical. Memphis the Musical was also nominated for Tony Award in the categories of Best Costume Design, Best direction of a Musical, Best Performance in a Leading Actress in a Musical and Best Performance in Leading Actor in a Musical. The Broadway musical further won a Golden Icon Award in the category of Best Musical in the Live Theatre. Further success led to a national tour since October 2011, beginning at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis with Huey Calhoun played by Bryan Fenkart.
Memphis the Musical prior to its Broadway production was a theatre show that drew its concept of “Memphis” from the late George W. George, a well known theatre producer. After being performed in the theatres of California and Massachusetts, the show was also taken to La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Many of the initial cast members from these shows were taken to the Broadway version, including Montego Glover who played Felicia Farrell and Chad Kimbell who portrayed Huey Calhoun. The costume, scenic and lightning designers Paul Tazwell, David Gallo and Howell Binkley, respectively carried on from the creative department. Memphis the Musical tickets have been scattered about, exchanging hands at the Broadway venues as many as a record breaking, 800 times as of 2011 September.
Memphis the Musical, which is truly an effortful work of much dedication and attention to detail, takes its direction from Christopher Ashley and Choreography from Sergio Trujillo. Its synopsis is inspiring especially to its youthful, idealistic type audience who wish to accomplish all that is larger-than-life since that is what the protagonist is like. Huey Calhoun is a passionate, spirited white man who believes and dares to explore the dimensions of racial music set rigidly by a society brewing in racial ills. The repercussions of his apparently controversial decisions, to play black music to a white crowd, put him and his career into trouble many times but he is relentlessly and determinedly dedicated to his cause. Even when his love interest is about to walk away in pursuit of better opportunities, Huey finds himself caught up more in the magnetic field of love for his music and his wonderful relationship to Memphis, with reference to how the Memphis community had come to understand and joyfully embrace his work as a DJ. Alongside the seriously thought provoking scenes of Memphis the Musical, upbeat musical scores from the likes of Underground, Music for My Soul, Make Me Stronger, Say a Prayer, Everybody Wants to be Black on Saturday Night and Change Won’t Come Easy are played. The musical scores are a combination of the rock and roll, pop tunes and the blues of that time. In Memphis the Musical, Huey truly encapsulates and magnificently represents the artistic character with his forward style, crude wit, smart remarks and spunky attributes, making him a believably likeable, popular DJ personality.
Memphis the Musical, befits all the characteristics of an engaging Broadway that while fulfills emotional longings that culminate to a hearty catharsis, also brings a fashionably captivating band, believably interesting performers and a well-thought, well-written, moving script that is relevantly coordinated with the musical score in theme and spirit. If you want a Broadway experience that keeps you engaged for sometime even after it is over, then those Memphis theMusical Tickets are a must-have on your list of promising entertainment.
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