BWW Interviews: Universtiy of Michigan Alum Kent Overshown is Excited for MEMPHIS to Arrive in Detroit!
University of Michigan graduate Kent Overshown discovered "the magic of musical theatre" as he calls it when he started high school and has loved it ever since. Currently on tour with Memphis, he excited to bring it to Michigan and be near his second home of Ann Arbor.
"I think Memphis it is a wonderful piece of historic work. It has brought a story that we have heard a lot. A story of race relations, forbidden love, and things like that, but it's a fresh take on it and brings it back to life," says Overshown. "I think that has the passion to move people to get that story across without beating them over the head with the idea that what happens in the past is wrong and we have to learn from it. It should also remind people to love each other and join together in music and fellowship."
Overshown is excited about being part of this tour because it is his first big gig besides regional productions that he has done. His normal role is in the ensemble for every performance, but he also understudies some roles as well. "I understudy the three black principal roles of Gator, Delray, and Bobby," he says. "I opened our Tempe stop as Bobby and have been on as Delray. I have yet to go on as Gator yet, but that is only because Rhett George who plays Gator is a beast and hasn't called out yet. He was in the Broadway production as well and after five hundred plus performances in the role, he is still out there eight times a week performing it amazingly."
In 2010, Memphis won four Tony Awards including Best Musical and is a show inspired by actual events of a white radio DJ who wants to change the world an a black club singer ready for her big break. The show has been a fan favorite with its lively dance routines and top tapping numbers. "We don't have a huge spectacle," says Overshown. "It's just a story about our history with music that is banging, singing that is amazing, and choreography that is wonderful, which all comes together to lead to an awesome show. I think people owe it to themselves to see some good musical theatre that doesn't rely on gimmick."
Memphis opens April 9th and runs through April 21st at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. For more information or tickets, visit www.broadwayindetroit.com.
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