In 1992, a bold new musical came to Broadway, a daring show with a lot more on its mind than mere diversion. That show was Jelly's Last Jam, and in addition to boasting an uncompromising performance from its leading man, the late Gregory Hines, the show also took a hard, innovative look at the self-loathing, internalized racism of jazz musician and composer Jelly Roll Morton. Alas, director and librettist George C. Wolfe was only able to sustain the magic of Jelly's Last Jam for the first half, after which the show ran out of steam, unable to sustain the same sense of electricity and surprise.
A very similar dichotomy dogs the ambitious, entertaining, but ultimately flawed new musical Memphis, which opened last night at the Shubert Theater in New York. A major caveat: I saw the second preview of the show, which began Broadway performances in late September. I'm sort of confused as to why I was invited to see the show so early in previews. What's even stranger, the press folk said there was an embargo on publishing any reviews until the show actually opened. Which means nearly a month has passed since I saw the show. Oh, well. Go know, right? It's entirely possible that the production team has made significant changes to the show since then.
Similar to Jelly's Last Jam, Memphis has a killer first act. As I sat watching the show, I kept thinking, "Wow, this is not your typical musical." But a few minutes into the second act, my tune had changed to, "Oh, this really is your typical musical." Which is a shame, because so much of what the creators do in Memphis is solid and ambitious. The book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, All Shook Up) centers around an interracial romance coinciding with the birth of rock and roll in the 1950s. Director Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys) have taken DiPietro's story and created what is, for a time, a nearly seamless fusion of compelling story and cinematic staging. The show invites you in from the very first number, imbuing the proceedings with clever staging touches and a terrific sense of forward motion.
The original score by David Bryan (of Bon Jovi fame), with DiPietro and Bryan sharing duty on the lyrics, features an interesting mix of technically diegetic numbers (i.e. songs in which the characters are aware that they are actually singing, as opposed to singing songs in character) that nonetheless propel the plot and reveal character. The songs aren't especially memorable, at least to my ear, but they more than serve their purpose within the context of the show.
Director Ashley has coaxed strong and compelling performances from his talented cast, particularly Chad Kimball (Into the Woods, Lennon, Good Vibrations) as the white DJ, and Montego Glover (The Color Purple) as his black protege and love interest. Kimball and Glover, in addition to being kick-ass singers, also bring great verisimilitude to their performances, rendering credible the sense of both apprehension and attraction that these character feel toward each other.
As I said, I saw a very early preview of Memphis. I truly hope that the production staff were able to pull the show into better shape during the month of preview performances. When I saw the show, the second act needed trimming by about 15 to 20 minutes, mostly in the form of an enervating and derivative epilogue, which seemed borrowed directly from Dreamgirls. I genuinely look forward to seeing the show again, to see if the final product came closer to the promise of that dynamite first act.
