BWW Reviews: MEMPHIS, Shaftesbury Theatre, October 2014

There's a popular theory that, in order to have a good chance at success, a new West End musical must be based either on a well-known film or on the back catalogue of a well-known music act - or in the case of The Bodyguard, both - and indeed, if you were to cast your eye over a list of hits and flops over the past few years, you might be inclined to agree. But then there's Memphis.

The show, with music and lyrics by David Bryan and book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, arrived in London this month with a fairly muted-verging-on-non-existent fanfare. It seems to have the dubious honour among self-proclaimed musical theatre aficionados of being one of the "worst Best Musical winners ever" (referring to its 2010 Tony Award victory) and, with its original score and story - not to mention its supposedly 'cursed' home at the Shaftesbury Theatre - might have seemed to some to be doomed to failure.

Not so; instead of the slapdash, reheated 'will this do?' effort that might have been expected, this new West End arrival is a production that pulsates with infectious energy - the frantic choreography is excellent throughout - and ultimately leaves its roaring audience on its feet until long after the cast has left the stage (on the night I attended, 90 per cent of attendees gave up their chance at an early exit to remain in position while the terrific band played on; it felt like a point blank refusal to let the evening end).

The show is unchanged from the version that sort-of wowed Broadway, but this iteration has two ace cards up its sleeve in the form of its stars; truly, Killian Donnelly (as Huey Calhoun, the naive DJ with a heart of gold) and Beverley Knight (Felicia Farrell, a singer in need of her big break) deliver two of the most exhilarating performances an audience is likely to witness this year. In Donnelly's hands, Huey is far from the almost irritating oddball he veered towards being on Broadway and his impeccable comic timing and soaring vocals are given their perfect showcase here; his 11 o'clock number 'Memphis Lives In Me' is nothing short of a masterful display.

While Huey is the show's lead character, the rug is pulled from under his feet on a regular basis by Beverley Knight's Felicia. That's not to say the character is more interesting or entertaining - she isn't either of those things, but Knight's extraordinary vocals create several electrifying moments where all I could do was shake my head in disbelief at what I was hearing; her high point arrives in the knockout Act I number 'Colored Woman' but genuinely, everything Knight sings turns to gold.

Solid support comes courtesy of Rolan Bell (Delray), Claire Machin (Gladys) and Jason Pennycooke (Bobby), who are all given their moments to shine at various junctures as we await the return of the show's leading duo. Some slight issues with the material include the handful of songs that are forgettable at best (though the songs that work do so wonderfully) and a rushed segue into the final number, 'Steal Your Rock And Roll', has struck me as rather bizarre each time I've seen the show.

There's also a niggling feeling that the story, being about fictional characters and events but presented as if it were based on fact, doesn't always achieve the emotional impact it aims for but when it works - essentially any time Donnelly and Knight are onstage - Memphis has the feel of a crowd-pleasing behemoth-in-waiting, and in these moments it's almost impossible to argue against it deserving to become the original musical at the Shaftesbury that could.

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