Review: Orpheus Musical Theatre's Production of MEMPHIS in Ottawa

Memphis is arguably Orpheus Musical Theatre's most anticipated production of its 2022-2023 season. Despite being nominated for eight awards and taking home four, including Best Musical, at the 2010 Tonys, Memphis mysteriously remains a lesser-known Broadway show. Set in the 1950s in Memphis, Tennessee, the story focuses on Huey Calhoun (Jack Ettlinger), a young white man with a passionate love for what was disparagingly known at that time as "race music". In the southern U.S. in the early fifties, racial tensions were high, and the civil rights movement was only beginning to gain traction. It is in this context that we see Huey wandering into Delray's, an underground bar owned, operated, and frequented exclusively by Black patrons.

When Huey walks in, the first instinct of Delray's customers is to leave as they - understandably - do not trust Huey's presence there. The owner, Delray Jones (Damien Broomes), pointedly asks Huey what he is doing there. Huey tries to persuade everyone of his love for the music ("The Music of My Soul"). This convinces everyone present that Huey is honest, if not a little odd, and they decide to stay. When Delray's sister, Felicia Farrell (Joy Mwandemange) takes the stage and begins to sing, Huey is instantly smitten. Huey obtains a series of jobs where he surreptitiously introduces white patrons to African-American music. Although his bosses are furious, the local teenagers go wild, dancing in the street, demanding more. Now knowing that there is a mainstream white audience that loves the music as much as he does, Huey promises Felicia that he will get her songs on the radio. He also promises his mother, Gladys (Allison Fagan) that he will put an end to their poverty. The rest of the show focuses on Huey attempting to accomplish both goals - with his own ego rising along the way, his romance with Felicia, and the inevitable fallout resulting from the ignorance and racism rampant in the Southern U.S. at the time.

The score (music by Bon Jovi's David Bryan and lyrics by Joe DiPietro) is outstanding, with song after song that could be actual radio hits. The soundtrack is a catchy mix of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and gospel songs that work remarkably well together.

The score is a difficult one to sing, but the entire cast gave 110% effort. Even though this marks Ettlinger's debut with Orpheus, he is no stranger to the stage, as he was a semi-finalist on the television show, Canada's Got Talent, in 2012. Mwandemange studied music at Carlton University, where she specialized in Musical Theatre Voice. With their backgrounds, it is unsurprising that Ettlinger and Mwandemange gave strong performances in the lead roles. The supporting cast was also impressive, particularly Emmanuel Simon as Gator, Damien Broomes as Delray, Axandre Lemours as Bobby, as well as Fagan.

The disappointing part of this production was the choreography, which felt somewhat stiff and stilted compared to Orpheus' usual offerings. That being said, Ella Wile stood out with a fantastic performance as the rebellious Teenage Girl.

During its hiatus resulting from the pandemic, Orpheus really upped its game in terms of sets. Although Memphis' set (Tony Walker) is not particularly large or extravagant, the details that went into the DJ booth, Delray's bar, and Huey's home, along with the use of two levels, make the various locations presented come to life. The projection screen is better suited to the size of stage and the transitions are much more seamless than in Orpheus' past production of Newsies, where it was first introduced, so if you saw that production, you will be pleasantly surprised by the improvements that have been made.

Orpheus' Memphis is great production and is recommended for anyone who likes 50s style music, as well as an inspirational storyline - despite the sobering fact that some of the themes playing out can still be found today, seventy years later. Memphis is playing at Meridien Theatres at Centrepointe through March 19th. Click here for more information or to buy tickets. Orpheus has also just announced another ambitious series of productions for its 2023-2024 season; get all the details here.

Photo Credit: Maria Vartanova

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