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TagsBright new Broadway musical deals lightly with serious theme
BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
BROADWAY REVIEW
Looking for a terrific party? Get down to "Memphis," where the music is tasty, the dancing is hot and the people are an agreeable bunch to meet.
Neither a revival nor adapted from a movie, the new Broadway musical that opened Monday at the Shubert Theatre packs a real good time. Later on, when that intoxicating in-the-moment glow fades, you may wonder why you enjoyed such a fine experience, but you're sure glad you went.
Writer Joe DiPietro sets his story in Memphis in the early 1950s when the racial divide between white and black people was sharp and dangerous. Crossing that line is Huey, a white guy who loves the soulful music he hears in Beale Street honky-tonks. Nabbing a gig as a disc jockey, Huey blithely airs taboo "race records" that set white teens dancing. Soon he's a local personality with his own TV rock ‘n' roll show.
Along the way, Huey falls hard for Felicia, a talented black singer. Her protective brother and his rigid mother object to the interracial affair but it burns on secretly until Huey impulsively goes public.In the cold light of the morning-after, this bittersweet saga appears to be merely so much cardboard construction. But DiPietro's frisky script moves so darned fast and the ‘50s-style blues, rockabilly and gospel-infused music by Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan sounds so good that their semi-serious musical is hard to resist as it unfolds. You may even go out humming one of the easy-on-the-ear tunes like "Everybody Wants to Be Black on a Saturday Night."
A decisive factor to the show's favorable impact is director Christopher Ashley's tight, bright, right-on staging. Driven by choreographer Sergio Trujillo's swarming, athletic dances and enhanced by some juicy orchestrations, there's just no stopping this production. Drenched by Howell Binkley in rich shades of lighting, the handsome costumes by Paul Tazewell and swift, nifty sets by David Gallo provide lots of eye appeal.
Let's talk about the winning cast. Sounding like a young Elton John, Chad Kimball imbues Huey with an impassioned, don't-give-a-damn presence. A sweet and powerful vocalist, Montego Glover lends Felicia a vulnerable quality that camouflages the ambitious character's calculating nature. Forbidding at first as Huey's disapproving mama, Cass Morgan finally gets to bust loose in a crowd-pleasing gospel number. A glowering Michael McGrath injects the tale with hard-guy reality as a radio station owner who prospers from Huey's popularity. A large fellow who proves light on his feet, James Monroe Iglehart delights with an up-tempo Big Bopper-type song and dance turn that gets the audience cheering. The hard-working and energetic ensemble makes the demanding choreography appear idiosyncratic and spontaneous.
In the long run, "Memphis" is unlikely to be a musical for the ages that high schools and community groups will perform years from now. For this immediate moment on Broadway, however, "Memphis" delivers plenty of entertainment.
"Memphis" continues an open-end run at the Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.memphisthemusical.com.