A white half-wit stumbles into an all-black nightclub in Memphis circa 1950, claiming he can get the music heard by a larger audience. After much debate, he leaves with a few records and after being fired for playing them at the department store he clerked at, he steals airtime at a local station and begins the rock revolution. Soon, alongside his improbable rise to fame, he begins to an even more improbable courtship with the nightclub proprietor's sister, whose career he also tries to promote in a racially tense city. "Memphis" is a lively, high energy musical from Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan, that features spirited, exaggerated and sometimes irritating performances. The songs are largely forgettable, but are performed with fervor in front of specatular set designs. "Memphis" is somewhat of a mixed bag but achieves its primary goal in being an engaging and infectious stage performance.
Entertainment Magazine
A white half-wit stumbles into an all-black nightclub in Memphis circa 1950, claiming he can get the music heard by a larger audience. After much debate, he leaves with a few records and after being fired for playing them at the department store he clerked at, he steals airtime at a local station and begins the rock revolution. Soon, alongside his improbable rise to fame, he begins to an even more improbable courtship with the nightclub proprietor's sister, whose career he also tries to promote in a racially tense city. "Memphis" is a lively, high energy musical from Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan, that features spirited, exaggerated and sometimes irritating performances. The songs are largely forgettable, but are performed with fervor in front of specatular set designs. "Memphis" is somewhat of a mixed bag but achieves its primary goal in being an engaging and infectious stage performance.
