BWW Reviews: MEMPHIS Dazzles at Broadway San Jose

Nick: Set Designer David Gallo gave Memphis a marvelous set.  The band was onstage the whole time.  He highlighted them when appropriate then had them behind facades at other times.  It was seamless.

Linda:  It was a highly creative set.  I loved the three singers in the giant spinning 45 record.  During the TV show scenes do you think the cameras on stage were giving a live feed?

Nick:  It looked like it.  It was like you were watching it live in the studio audience in color and at home on your black and white television!  Just astounding!

Linda:  This talented cast and crew were directed by Christopher Ashley.  Memphis is a show that has many high points that make you want to get up and dance, punctuated with moments that bring reality crashing down on you in a powerful way.  From the white father slapping his daughter for dancing to Negro music, to Huey and Felicia getting jumped and beaten for following their hearts, Memphis doesn’t let you forget what a pioneering thing it was to play black music on white radio or to dare to love whomever you please.

Nick:  Kind of sounds like today – for gay people.

Linda:  Yes.  And isn’t that a sad commentary.

Nick:  All the more reason to see Memphis. This is definitely a show worth seeing. 

Linda:  Once again, Broadway San Jose has a hit on their hands!  Get there to see Memphis before it leaves San Jose.

Memphis
Now thru Sunday, Oct. 28
Book and Lyrics: Jo DiPietro
Music and Lryics:  David Bryan
Broadway San Jose
http://broadwaysanjose.com
Photo courtesy of Broadway San Jose

Linda Hodges is a freelance writer who has been covering the vibrant and exciting San Francisco Bay Area theater scene for the past two years. A dedicated theater aficionado, Linda first became involved in the dramatic arts while in college, becoming one of the first “techies” at her school to be voted into Delta Psi Omega, the National Theater Honor Society. She holds a Masters in Theological Studies from Pacific School of Religion and maintains that theater, at its best, is a religious experience! Linda is currently working on her first novel and, as always, is looking forward to another opening night. Nick Hodges has performed in theater since the fifth grade and his passion for the arts has only continued to grow. He studied acting for three years at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco as well as the Berkeley Repertory Theater and Dance 10 Studio. Through these rich and varied experiences he has gained a deeper and thorough perspective of what it truly takes to make a theatrical production successful. Nick is 23 and is currently living in the San Francisco bay area. He is thrilled to be working with BroadwayWorld!

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