Review: Memphis At The Broward Center For The Performing Arts

BY SARAH SHARPE

Memphis, the Musical, which had a run at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, follows the highs and lows in the career of Huey Calhoun, a white guy from Memphis, Tennessee who discovers and falls in love with a beautiful, black R&B singer named Felicia Farrell and makes it his mission to get her music to play in the center of the radio dial. Set in the 1950s, a time when segregation was prevalent in the South, Calhoun becomes the first white DJ to play “race records” on the radio, shocking the nation.

Memphis scored 8 Tony nominations in 2010 and won 4 of them: Best Orchestrations, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Musical. There’s no secret to this show’s success, filled with toe-tapping tunes by Bon Jovi’s David Bryan and fantastic choreography by the brilliant Sergio Trujillo, every moment either breaks your heart or fills you with joy. I was, overall, pleasantly surprised by this production.

The national tour has cast a well-meshed ensemble, but the two leads are who were truly memorable when walking out of the theatre. Joey Elrose plays the delightfully funny and carefree Huey. In a cast full of singers, Elrose’s acting chops really shine through. His energy and charisma are contagious and when Huey hits rock bottom, you can’t help but feel sympathetic for him. I honestly don’t think I can imagine anyone playing the role better than he does. Playing opposite Elrose is the impeccably talented Jasmin Richardson as Felicia. Whenever her mouth opened to sing, you could feel chills run down the backs of everyone in the audience. Without a doubt, Richardson is the best singer to grace the Broward Center stage this year so far.

Memphis is definitely a musical that’s not to be missed. Whether you’re looking for a great story that might just bring a tear to your eye or even just an awesome soundtrack to rock out to, Memphis has it all.