Memphis - Some southern R&B and history to boot - WOW!!!

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 I recently had the opportunity to warm up in the Shubert Theater on Broadway to be part of an inspired, spirited and heart pounding presentation of Memphis. Chad Kimball delivered a performance that was able to make you tweak up your listening skills to fluidly hear that Tennessee twang and be part of his life. He was credible, likeable and more importantly, believable in his portrayal of Huey Calhoun, a person of limited academic training and knowledge but with a vision and passion for music in an era when Black soul and rock and roll were deemed as being subversive and not proper. Damn that, full speed ahead. The audience gets drawn into this historic reflection of things many of us lived through. To see the evolution on stage and the stereotypical conflict of White and Black, especially as it applies to a relationship is still eye opening and maybe for some...not understood. And maybe, even hopefully, a younger generation needs to be told of this conflict because it no longer exists. Wishful thinking, I'm sure. There is a lot of reality in this show and sometimes some discomfort in facing demons of the past. However, Chad Kimball's incredibly voice and the magnificence of Montego Glover is overwhelming. Montego, as Felicia, is talented, confident, and artistic and her inner, as well as outer, beauty adds a scintillating spark to the cast. Well done! What a great day to be in New York, in the winter, in the Shubert, in an audience which has the privilege to hear this incredible cast. If you're looking for great music, a wonderfully romantic story and some dancing that will make you jump out of your seats...see Memphis.

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