Pros and Cons on Memphis

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 9:03pm

Originally, I had little interest in seeing this...but Memphis has begun whispering in my ear, taunting me to see it.

I was hoping that those of you that HAVE seen it could give me what you found to be it's strengths and weaknessess...to help me decide if I do want to see the show. That's more important to me than whether you liked/disliked the show. For example: stock characters wouldn't bother me, if the plot is interesting. Bad rhyming in lyrics don't bother me, but insipid lyrics do.

The more specific you are, the more helpful. TIA

[sgv123]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 9:25pm

I think that I am one of the few that actually enjoyed the show. For me I think that the only con would be the story. It is not a bad plot, it is just a plot that we have all seen/heard before. It is an inspiring story regardless. This is loosely based on Dewey Phillips, so there is also very interesting historical parts of the show as well.

I think that the best thing about the show is the cast. Montego and Chad are great. The rest of the main cast and the ensemble are all incredibly talented and give it their all. I was also impressed by the choreography. The music is also a strong point for this show.

At the end, I would day that there are more positives than there are negatives.
Updated On: 12/30/09 at 09:25 PM

[raulmark]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:15pm

I just thought the character of Dewey was obnoxious, especially his accent. I didn't believe his romance with the leading lady. I couldn't get past that...I liked the music enough, but one song reminded me of a song from The Toxic Avenger Musical and that's all I could think of....also, there was one character who was silent in the 1st act, then conveniently broke his silence then would not shut up the rest of the show. I don't know, the show just annoyed me. I really went in thinking I'd love it. It's all relative I guess sorry lol

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:18pm

Pros -- skillfully produced, staged, and designed.

Cons -- lame cliche-ridden script, gaping hole where the chemistry between the two leads should be, Chad Kimball's decision to play the lead as a spastic retarded version of George W. Bush, general air of self-importance despite complete lack of anything to back it up.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:23pm

Pros: Satisfactory staging and choreography. Montego Glover's voice.

Cons: Lame book. Mediocre score. Montego Glover's acting.


Updated On: 12/30/09 at 10:23 PM

[snarkywannabedreamer]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:25pm

My feeling after leaving the show was that it felt like a story about black culture and black music clearly written by white people. The songs lacked an authenticity and when you stripped away the vocal stylings of the singers were really just cheesy showtunes that happen to be sung by really amazing soul singers, creating the illusion that the songs were soulful Memphis rock n' roll when they really weren't. Also, I think the ending is very abrupt and weird and ultimately sad (basically racism wins). Now I have no problem with sad endings, but then the show tries to get you as the audience to get on your feet for a happy final number that is not earned and also happens to be a total Hairspray (you can't stop the beat) rip off. I don't know. There were some moments, but overall I found it to be a pretty soulless execution of an interesting story and a really cool movement in rock history.

[raulmark]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:33pm

"Chad Kimball's decision to play the lead as a spastic retarded version of George W. Bush, general air of self-importance despite complete lack of anything to back it up"

LOL exactly! I hated that character. I didn't care what happened to him at all. Hated his mother, too.
Another thing that annoyed me...In musicals, I expect the songs to drive the show along and speak for the characters...I don't feel the songs that some characters sang were written for those characters, that annoyed me too

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 10:43pm

I think it has a great score and it has a good story(not the most original story though) and it has great talented performers in it.
The story flows very well, there are no boring moments in the show.
Also I expect this show getting several Tony awards, so go see it while you can. It's been selling out all last week. It wasn't on TKTS these past days.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 11:17pm

I really disliked it, but there were some strengths. It was aesthetically well done...I loved the sets/costumes and the choreography is really great and energetic. The cast is incredibly talented, and Montego Glover in particular has a fantastic voice. Some of the songs are catchy and enjoyable, though not the most original stuff out there.

Cons...mostly that the story is poorly constructed. I honestly felt nothing for the characters...in fact, I wished Huey would go away for most of the show. The character is truly unlikable, and it hurts the show so much. I felt that it could have been an interesting, moving story, but the book is so elementary and the lyrics are so awful that I couldn't get into it.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 11:26pm

Pros: the set and lighting design. Montego Glover's voice.

Cons: The score is repetitive. Montego Glover can't act. The story is about as cliche-ridden as an after school special. All of Chad Kimball's distracting performance, from the weird George W. Bush accent, to the annoying repetition of hockadoo. The predictability of the entire thing. It all feels like Hairspray Lite. Problem is, it lacks any of the wit and charm Hairspray had.

[raulmark]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 11:30pm

perfectly put "perfectlymarvelous"
I was saying Dewey before, not Huey lol

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 11:31pm

Huey, Dewey, and Louie???

LOL.

[raulmark]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 11:44pm

hockadoo! oh, God I think I blocked that out. This show disappointed the hell of me lol

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 12:08am

Well, I just saw this last night.
At ntermission, I was not very excited about much except the choreography. By the end, they kind of got me interested. I liked Act 2 better.
Pros: I liked the music. Actually quite a bit for my first time hearing it. Good mixture of Broadway and rock and roll I thought. Catchy stuff. Also, the choreography was very good. Uh, let's see. The singing voices are all very impressive. I liked their use of the elevators in their stage...oh, and I actually liked the ending. I didn't feel like they were saying "racism wins." I liked it because they didn't take the generic easy-out happy ending.

Cons: Generic story that feels like Dreamgirls because of the plot and Hairspray because of all the local TV show scenes in Act 2. Rolled my eyes at times on the predictability and unoriginality of it (except the ending). Also, there are no amazing acting performances. Glover is not strong as an actress and Kimball's "choices" for his character made me think he was playing drunk for the first half hour of the show...then I wondered if he was supposed to be mentally handicapped (I'm serious)...then I realized it was just bizarre characterization. I also had some problems with the sound design understanding the lyrics to lots of the songs.
Over all, I'd say I liked it...didn't love it...glad I went and saw it though...gonna buy the CD, but will probably never go see it again...

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 12:23am

then I wondered if he was supposed to be mentally handicapped (I'm serious)...

No, I thought the exact same thing.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 12:26am

I saw it out of town and thought it was absolutely dreadful.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:04am

I loved Memphis and am very confused by many of the comments I've read here about the show, but that doesn't address your topic, Pros and Cons on Memphis...

Pros:

1. Spectacular dancing. Not just the choreography - although it is superb - but beautifully executed by an amazing cast.

2. An exciting score. I loved the music and am eagerly awaiting the cast recording to be released on iTunes. Like the dancing above, it's beautifully sung.

3. Here's the part I don't understand... I though the leads gave Tony award-winning performances, especially Chad Kimball. I was captivated by him and until I see Fela, he's my choice for best actor in a musical.

4. The design is strong and the show is visually very stimulating.

5. A good story. It's true that much of it is predictable, but this didn't bother me. The situation is clear and we know how it's going to play out. I don't think the writers intended for anything different. The power is in the knowing. We've lived this history and the experience is more a reflection on where we've been, where we are and where we need to go. (Memphis is to the history of racial tensions in America, as Avatar is a science fictionalized exploration of America's exploitation of American Indians. Similar criticism of Avatar not being original and ladened with an obvious screenplay hasn't stopped it from being an important and extremely enjoyable film.)

(For the record, I'm white and at Memphis I sat next to a very lovely black woman whom I had never met before. As she was slightly large, she spilled over onto my seat creating a sort of intimacy between us. By intermission the two of us were crying and comforting each other. It was an amazing experience. One I will cherish.)

Cons:

1. Broadway is too expensive and therefore shows have to be blockbuster hits, or they won't survive the journey to find their audience. (I have no doubt that the night I saw it, the audience was deeply moved.)

2. I'm honestly at a lost to find cons. I didn't mind that it follows in the footsteps of Dreamgirls and Hairspray, two musicals I love. Perhaps, it's arc isn't the most original: a fictionalized piece of American history dealing with racial tension as it pertained to the evolution of rock and roll. (I believe this story is an important one and a different perspective didn't bother me in the least. How many great WWII movies have we watched - still watch - and the story continues to have relevance?)

I highly recommend Memphis. It moved me deeply.



Updated On: 12/31/09 at 01:04 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:08am

For the record, I'm white and sat next to a very lovely black woman whom I had never met before. As she was slightly large, she spilled over onto my seat creating a sort of intimacy between us.

That is the funniest thing I've read all night. Her fat created intimacy between you?

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:10am

Fat has a funny way of bringing people closer together.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:10am

The first time I saw the show I thought Kimball was doing a retarded version of Matthew Mcconaughey. I saw the show again last week and he has toned it down greatly, thank God. I enjoyed it much more than I did early in previews, the actors seem to have fixed all they're able to fix on their end of it. Story is still cliche ridden and a lot of the score is forgettable, but for what it is it ain't half bad.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:14am

I actually didn't think Chad Kimball was all that bad...I saw the show relatively early in previews and I don't plan to return to see what's changed since then but I thought that he was doing all he could with a poorly written, genuinely unlikable character. I think he's a very talented guy in an unfortunate role but I don't think he was as awful as many are making him out to be.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:15am

I doubt Kimball will even be nominated.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:16am

I doubt it either, but I hope Montego will be.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:18am

My words weren't meant to be funny, but I understand your comment. What I intended was that we were sitting very close to each other and perhaps our proximity created an opportunity for us to be more aware of each other's experience watching the show.

When she spoke back to the actors (this was not obnoxious, but her way of experiencing the performance) I felt her energy, as I'm sure she could sense my feet dancing in the space below us. We were both very moved by Memphis and that's all I meant to express.

At intermission we spoke rather than stretching our legs and the conversation between her, her friend, my friends and myself was genuine and beautiful and all about the bridges between cultures, specifically black and white.

(Now find something in my words that you will deem funny, or racist, or even ignorant. I am only expressing my experience.)

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:18am

Somehow the above post duplicated itself.


I hold to my feelings about Chad Kimball. I thought he was amazing. Updated On: 12/31/09 at 01:18 AM