Monday, February 27, 2012
By John Benson
Further proof you can’t judge a book by its cover or a musical by its name, producer Randy Adams wants theatergoers to know that despite the fact his production is titled “Memphis” it has nothing to do with Elvis Presley.
“It’s like, what do people know about Memphis? And that’s Elvis,” said Adams. “‘Memphis’ is about the music scene.”
Adding to the confusion is the fact 2010 Tony Award-winning musical “Memphis” was on Broadway at the same time “Million Dollar Quartet” debuted in New York. Now that misunderstanding continues two years later as both musicals are mounting national tours. While the story about a fateful night when Elvis Presley jammed with Johnny Cash and others came to Cleveland earlier this season, “Memphis” makes its regional debut Tuesday through March 11 at the Palace Theatre.
Though the “Memphis” actors won’t be singing hits from the ’50s, there still will be plenty of rock and rolling with the raucous score written by Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan. The New Jersey rocker also contributed lyrics with Joe DiPietro (“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”), who wrote the musical’s book.
One may hear Bon Jovi and expect a “You Give Love a Bad Name” score, but think again.
“The script was passed to David Bryan, who called DiPietro out of the blue and said, ‘I’m the keyboardist for Bon Jovi, I read the script and I want to write the music for it. I hear every song in my head,’” said Adams. “Joe told him to pick any of the lyrics he wrote and write a song. The next morning, a FedEx package was at Joe’s door. It was ‘The Music of My Soul,’ which is the second song of the show. Joe listened to it and said, ‘I hope this guy is not crazy because he’s the one.’”
“Memphis” is set in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 1950s, where a young white disc jockey named Huey Calhoun fell in love with what at the time was called race music but to us is basically rock ’n’ roll. Calhoun put the rhythm-and-blues music on the air, and a cultural revolution was started. Add in the love affair between Calhoun and an electrifying black singer, a no-no in the pre-Civil Rights, segregated south, and Adams said it’s a recipe for excitement and fun.