Review: FROZEN at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisJune 23, 2023There's a chill in the air in Memphis, and it's coming from the Orpheum Theatre. Disney's Frozen, based on the 2013 hit film, opened last night and I have never seen so many blue dresses in one place before ;)
Review: CHICAGO at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisApril 5, 2023What did our critic think of CHICAGO at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis? Chicago is celebrating 25 dazzling years and it has returned to Memphis! It is certainly a fan favorite, with exhilirating dancing and an iconic story that is known around the world. The 1975 musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse, is the 2nd longest running Broadway musical (thanks to the 1996 revival), behind fan favorite Phantom of the Opera.
Review: TINA at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisFebruary 16, 2023What did our critic think of TINA at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis? Valentine's Day was a special evening for Memphis theatre-goers. Rock and roll lovers flocked to the Orpheum Theatre to hear iconic hits such as 'Proud Mary' and 'What's Love Got To Do With It'. Theatre lovers crowded the theatre for incredible costumes, stunning lighting designs, and some extremely powerful voices on the stage. And you only have until this Sunday to experience it. I'm of course speakng about Tina the Musical.
Review: PRETTY WOMAN at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisOctober 12, 2022What did our critic think of PRETTY WOMAN at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis? If you are familiar with the beloved 1990 film Pretty Woman, you are familiar with this line. The opening number of the musical 'Welcome to Hollywood' captivates the audience with a catchy line and an exhilirating dance number. Fans of the film won't be disappointed, holding their breath for iconic lines and even costumes from the film. However, the late great Stephen Sondheim once spoke about the concept of 'why musicals', saying they are 'perfectly OK, but why write them? They're not necessary.
Review: MY FAIR LADY at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisJuly 28, 2022What did our critic think of MY FAIR LADY at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis? My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Lowe. The story centers around Cockney flower girl Eliza Dolittle, who becomes Professor Henry Higgin's 'experiment' in phonetics but quickly proves to Higgins and to the audiences that she is quite more and is more of a lady than anyone can originally see. If you enjoy the 'Golden Age' of musicals, this one is not to be missed.
Review: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisJune 30, 2022What did our critic think of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis? Andrew Lloyd-Webber fans can certainly appreciate the 2021-2022 Orpheum season! Not long after Cats comes Jesus Christ Superstar, a powerful rock musical that centers around the last days of Jesus Christ. The show is actually celebrating its 50th anniversary and brings a completetly different dynamic to the Orpheum stage.
BWW Review: THE BAND'S VISIT at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisApril 14, 2022The Band's Visit is an intimate 90 minute musical with no intermission, no big show-stopping numbers, and no 'flash' as we say in show biz. It is a very real performance about a random moment in history, based on the 2007 Israeli film of the same name.
BWW Review: CATS at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisMarch 24, 2022It's a fan-favorite and it's back at the Orpheum Theatre Memphis! Cats is the 4th longest-running Broadway show, coming in behind The Lion King, and is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical opened at the Orpheum Theatre on Webber's birthday and continues to dazzle audiences with fun costumes, incredible dancing and acrobatics, and some pretty meow-tiful music ( get ready for a whole lot of cat puns ;)
Orpheum Theatre Memphis Announces 2022-2023 Lineup Featuring PRETTY WOMAN, TINA, DEAR EVAN HANSEN & More!February 22, 2022The 2022-2023 subscription series begins with Lincoln Center Theater's new production of Lerner & Loewe's classic MY FAIR LADY in July. Academy Award® winner Aaron Sorkin's adaption of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning masterwork - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD arrives in August as the most successful American play in Broadway history. Based on one of Hollywood's most beloved romantic stories of all time, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL hits the Orpheum stage in October.
BWW Review: TOOTSIE at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisFebruary 16, 2022Tootsie is a new musical based on the 1982 film starring Dustin Hoffman. The story follows Michael Dorsey ('Is he an actor? Yes, of course, he is. Is he successful? Yes, of course, he's not') and the opening number immediately makes his rotten reputation evident and known.
BWW Review: HADESTOWN at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisFebruary 3, 2022Way down in Memphis, there's a poor boy working on a song. If you are at all familiar with the Tony-award winning musical Hadestown, you know you can expect laughs, tears, gorgeous songs, and a story that's as ancient as, well, the gods.
BWW Review: HAMILTON at The Orpheum Theatre MemphisDecember 27, 2021In 2009, at the peak of his Broadway musical In The Heights, Lin Manuel Miranda took a little vacation and started to read a copy of the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Shortly after, he began to work on a project entitled The Hamilton Mixtape.