BWW REVIEWS: MEMPHIS is a Masterpiece, National Tour in Houston

Since I'm not a fan of gospel or R&B, I settled into my seat at the Hobby Center last night uncertain how the next few hours were going to appeal to me.   However, I left the theatre completely blown away with an uplifted spirit.  The National Tour of Memphis: A New Musical shines with a deeply talented cast bursting with heart and energy throughout the flawless production.

Set in Memphis, Tennessee in the 1950's, Memphis is loosely based on the disk jockey Dewey Phillips who was one of the first white DJs to play black music.  The musical's quirky disk jockey, named Huey Calhoun, has a soft place in his heart for "race music" and vows to put the headliner of a local African American club, Felicia, on the radio.  Through bold action and several risks that pay off, Huey comes through on his promise and also paves a path to stardom for himself along the way.  The plot is fast paced and surprisingly not as predictable as one may expect.

Leading the phenomenal cast is Felicia Boswell (Broadway: Memphis, National Tour: Dreamgirls, Aida) who stars as Felicia.  Boswell has the most inspiring voice to grace the Hobby Center stage in several seasons.  I was completely blown away by her smooth, powerful vocals.

Bryan Fenkart, who made his Broadway debut as the Huey stand-by, repeats his role for the National Tour.  Huey has an eccentric personality which could easily be over acted, however, Fenkart's portrayal is nothing short of genius giving the character a natural awkwardness and strange accent that adds to the show. 

The plot layout of Memphis provides each of the supporting leads their own opportunity to shine - and boy do they all take advantage.  Playing Huey's mother, Julie Johnson (Broadway: Candide), brings down the house with "Change Don't Come Easy" and the infectious smile of Will Mann (who plays Felicia's friend Bobby, Broadway: Memphis, National Tour: Billy Elliot, Wonderful Town) reaches all the way to the back of the auditorium.  Quentin Earl Darrington (Broadway: Ragtime), who plays Felicia's brother, has a deep voice which dazzles during "She's My Sister."

Anchoring the show is an energetic, toe-tapping score that will keep you smiling.  Composed by Bon Jovi's founding member and keyboardist David Bryan, the score features lyrics co-written by Bryan and Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) who also wrote the show's book.  I especially enjoyed how the lyrics continue to move the plot forward and were perfectly integrated into the book.  The score does not often have long sequences between songs but when it does, the humor of the book is just as entertaining.  Memphis won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book and Best Orchestrations.

The unique choreography in Memphis by Sergio Trujillo (Broadway: Memphis, Jersey Boys, The Adams Family, next to normal, All Shook Up, Guys and Dolls) is also dazzling with unending variety and action that fills every corner of the stage.  The staging and set design are equally clever and I especially enjoyed the bit where three singers perform in the middle of a gigantic spinning record high above the stage.

Sure, on opening night there was a technical glitch that caused a five-minute pause in the show after the second number and the house lights to be raised back up.  But it's moments like these that remind you you're watching live theatre and help you to appreciate the phenomenal talent the cast must have to pull off such a high caliber performance right before your eyes.  If you treat yourself to a trip to Memphis you will not be disappointed.

Memphis runs at the Hobby Center through October 30.  Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 982-ARTS or visiting www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/houston or www.thehobbycenter.org.

Photo Credit: Paul Kolnik

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