"Everyone want[ed] to be black" on Tuesday Night at the Ohio Theatre as MEMPHIS came to town and literally tore down the house. From its onset, MEMPHIS was clearly a liberating celebration in every sense of the word. Its jumping and jiving, soulful, high energy rock-n-roll, powerful singing, and endearing story take you on a nonstop whirlwind from start to finish.
On May 15, the first National Tour of the Tony Award-Winning MEMPHIS arrives in Dallas to stay until May 27. The company just released a promotional video in preparation for the upcoming performances in Texas, which features Bryan Fenkart, Felicia Boswell, and an amazing ensemble of singers and dancers.
The Kennedy Center presents Memphis in the Opera House from June 12 to July 1, 2012.
While it may look through its world through "rose colored glasses", MEMPHIS celebrates a time when race music was beginning to catch on with a white, mostly teenaged audience. It's a crackling, amusing, and fast-paced show (book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by David Bryan) that takes you on a musical journey through the eyes of young Huey, a wannabe DJ, who gets his wish, and may get his girl, if they can survive the glare of the fifties, when mixing of the races was against the law. Does this all sound heavy? Well it's not, not by a long shot. Instead, it's a bouncy and bluesy production that's easy to take and listen to. It's currently playing the Fox Theatre (through May 13, 2012), and there's a reason this show is so successful, it's just edgy enough to appeal to the jaded, and it lightens the tone of this historical racist behavior just enough to succeed with the masses.
The birth of rock 'n' roll would seem to be too broad a topic to be covered in the short span of a Broadway musical, but Memphis has found a way to successfully tell one aspect of that story with a compelling plot and memorable music.
Bryan Fenkart, the star of the MEMPHIS tour, recently visited Schenectady and discussed his role as Huey. In this video, he shares how fun but tiring each performance is, how many cups of coffee he consumes, and racial inequality in the '50s.
Bryan Fenkart, the star of the MEMPHIS National Tour, recently stopped off at a Baltimore TV show to talk about the significance of MEMPHIS today, how it reflects true radio history, how he prepares for shows, and more.
Hockadoo! The 2010 Tony winning Best Musical MEMPHIS will continue to blow the roof off of theatres across the country into the 2012 -2013 season. The season will kick off on September 11th in Portland, OR at the Keller Auditorium, and a return engagement is scheduled in the city where it all began - Memphis, TN at the Orpheum Theatre. On Wednesday, March 14th MEMPHIS celebrated its' 1,000th performance on Broadway where it continues to bring audiences to their feet on a daily basis.
MEMPHIS, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical will be presented by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts for two weeks, through March 25, as part of the Ordway's 2011-2012 Theater Season.
MEMPHIS the musical recently celebrated its 1000th performance on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre. The following video shows all of the excitement surrounding this milestone, including some of the MEMPHIS guys bursting into song.
MEMPHIS, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical will be presented by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts for two weeks, March 13-25, as part of the Ordway's 2011-2012 Theater Season.
MEMPHIS, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical will be presented by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts for two weeks, March 13-25, as part of the Ordway's 2011-2012 Theater Season.
MEMPHIS stars Bryan Fenkart and Julie Johnson spoke to Sharon Eberson of the Post-Gazette paper in Pittsburgh about the MEMPHIS tour.
Bryan Fenkart of the MEMPHIS tour sings an original single, 'New World,' from his new album, 'Simple & Grey.'
Although not as memorable as some of its forebears, MEMPHIS packs plenty of R&B sass.
MEMPHIS is performing in Hartford, Connecticut at the Bushnell Theatre until January 15, and on January 10, Fenkart performed the rousing crowd favorite, 'Memphis Lives in Me' on the show Better Connecticut.
Although not as memorable as some of its forebears, MEMPHIS packs plenty of R&B sass.
MEMPHIS, the 2010 Tony® Award Winner for Best Musical, and the show that's currently blowing the roof off Broadway, opened to rave reviews and is coming to Heinz Hall from December 27, 2011 to January 1, 2012.
Memphis roared into Toronto on Wednesday night, where it will play the Toronto Centre for the Arts until Christmas Eve. A unique blend of original music, choreography and story this show provides a welcome reprise from the revivals and jukebox musicals of late, plus is a toe tapper of a good time as well.
Memphis opened in Toronto this past Wednesday at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Hometown boy Sergio Trujillo came up from the Great White Way to celebrate with Dancap President Aubrey Dan and the Tony Award from when the show won Best Musical in 2010. BWW was on hand to bring you photos of the production and all the fun after!
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