Review: MEMPHIS at The 5th Avenue Theatre
A new high-energy musical opened at the 5th Avenue Theatre on Thursday, February 4th. It’s a co-production between the 5th Avenue and La Jolla Playhouse. The production team for this is brimming over with award winning talent and it shows from the opening number. The book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) with a musical score developed by Bon Jovi rock superstar, David Bryan.
Director, Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreographer, Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys and Guys and Dolls) do not miss a step in blending in every aspect to present a show hopefully headed to Broadway.
This musical, takes place in Memphis, Tennessee in 1950. It’s a story of a young white man, Huey (Chad Kimball) who has a love & knowledge of what was then called race music. Meaning wonderful rhythm & blues performed and played by black people. This race music later blended into good old rock ‘n roll. Now Huey visits a black club on Beale Street and hears singer Felicia (Montergo Glover) and it’s bittersweet romance from that point on. In the south during this time, race music was never played on the white owned radio stations. In fact, the black railroad porters of the time did a brisk business of selling current black records to the black people as they made their stops along the southern route from the north.
Seattle is lucky to have a first rate cast of actors with this play who, with the original score and dancing, tell a story about what people can and will do for love.
The songs intertwine and set the mood. When Seattle’s own Chad Kimball sings” The Music of My Soul” it’s so moving. you know when you hear something that sends chills down your back, my own little barometer that tells me, something special is happening. That was it. The acting by Mr. Kimball makes you a believer, his character is odd, talented and true to himself. He becomes a well know radio disc jockey who plays black music. Montego Glover is his forbidden love and has a voice that can make you blue or righteous when she’s at the church and singing gospel. Some other cast members have some standout roles such as Derrick Baskin as Gator, James Monroe Iglehart as Bobby and Case Morgan as Huey’s mother.
The set and design added to the overall production, conveying the points that moved the story along from the shady Beale street club to poor parts of the city, no race mixing was the standard. Even in the selection of costumes for the main characters reflects when their fortune does take a turn for the better. The costumes contribute particularly to Huey which shows he will always be a rebel and dances to a wonderful and slightly different drummer. I loved him for that.
I, along with the audience, enjoyed this performance and would recommend you go see it. Yes, I think I am actually speaking for the entire audience. It was an entertaining evening; it was nice to forget for a while the news and the worries of the day. As Huey, stated a few times “hockdo”. It felt good.
Tickets to MEMPHIS are priced from $22 – $81. Tickets are available online at 5thavenue.org or in person at the box office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle. There is no service charge when purchasing tickets in person at The 5th Avenue Theatre Box Office.
More info about the play is available here.
– Ethel W.
