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MEMPHIS Celebrates One Year on Broadway, 10/19

By: Oct. 19, 2010
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The winner of four 2010 Tony awards including Best Musical, MEMPHIS will celebrate its one year anniversary on Broadway Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at the Shubert Theatre. To commemorate, one randomly selected patron in attendance at the October 19th anniversary performance in New York will win a trip for two to Memphis, Tennessee. There, they will have the opportunity to experience the city in true southern fashion and attend the opening night performance of the MEMPHIS national tour at the Orpheum Theatre in October 2011!

In addition, the principal actors of MEMPHIS will continue to blow the roof off of Broadway for yet another year. Tony nominees Chad Kimball and Montego Glover, with Derrick Baskin, J. Bernard Calloway, and James Monroe Iglehart have extended their contracts through September 2011. Cass Morgan and Michael McGrath will also continue in their roles.

Critically acclaimed MEMPHIS won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score (David Bryan and Joe DiPietro), Best Book (Joe DiPietro), and Best Orchestrations (David Bryan and Daryl Waters). MEMPHIS won four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Montego Glover), Outstanding Music (David Bryan) and Outstanding Orchestration (David Bryan and Daryl Waters). MEMPHIS has also won four Outer Critic Circle Awards including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Score (David Bryan & Joe DiPietro), Outstanding Actress (Montego Glover) and Outstanding Choreography (Sergio Trujillo).

MEMPHIS features a Tony-winning score with music by Bon Jovi's founding member/keyboardist David Bryan and lyrics by Bryan and Tony-winner Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), who also pens the musical's book. MEMPHIS is based on a concept by the late George W. George (producer of the Tony nominated Bedroom Farce and the film My Dinner With Andre), with direction by Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).

MEMPHIS takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 50's, where a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball) fell in love with everything he shouldn't: rock and roll and an electrifying black singer (Montego Glover). MEMPHIS is an original story about the cultural revolution that erupted when his vision met her voice, and the music changed forever.

MEMPHIS will launch a U. S. national tour in Memphis, TN, beginning in October, 2011 at the Orpheum Theatre (203 South Main Street). Additional cities, dates and casting will be announced at a later date. The national tour will be booked by The Booking Group, contact MerEdith Blair (212) 869-9280 www.thebookinggroup.com.

Tickets range from $41.50 to $131.50 (including a $1.50 facility fee). The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm, and Sundays at 3pm. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.Telecharge.com or call 212.239.6200.

David Richardson of WOR Radio calls MEMPHIS "The biggest hit on Broadway" while Charles Isherwood of the New York Times says, ""David Bryan evokes the powerhouse funk of James Brown, the hot guitar riffs of Chuck Berry, the smooth harmonies of The Temptations, the silken, bouncy pop of the great girl groups of the period." The New York Post raves "Of such thrills, Broadway is made," Newsday calls the show "A smash! An extraordinary show," the Daily News promises that MEMPHIS will "Blast you out the door humming and happy" and NY1's Roma Torre cheers, "MEMPHIS ROCKS!"

Scenic Design for MEMPHIS is by Tony Award winner David Gallo (The Drowsy Chaperone, Reasons to Be Pretty), Costume Design is by Tony nominee Paul Tazewell (In The Heights), Lighting Design is by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley (Jersey Boys) and Sound Design is by Ken Travis (The Threepenny Opera).

MEMPHIS is produced on Broadway by Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag and Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff with Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, and Richard Winkler in association with Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group and ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee.

For more information visit www.memphisthemusical.com




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