REVIEW: High-spirited 'Memphis' rocks, but its book still needs work

By PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer | Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:13 AM PDT ∞

La Jolla Playhouse has a well-deserved reputation as a birthplace of the American musical. Virtually every musical ever presented on its stage has been a world premiere or new revival.

Now comes "Memphis: The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll," an irrepressibly energetic 5-year-old musical now in its third-ever production. But looks can be deceiving. Despite its production experience, "Memphis" has all the markings of a newbie ---- novelty and surprises, an occasionally choppy book, too many songs and an abrupt ending.

While the book needs work and the score needs trimming, "Memphis" is not without charm. Directed by Christopher Ashley (the Playhouse's new artistic director), the musical moves like a house afire, with powerhouse singers at every turn, lots of humor, dazzling and innovative choreography by Sergio Trujillo, vibrant lighting and a lively rock 'n' roll score that revels in its gritty roots.

"Memphis" is loosely based on the real-life story of renegade Memphis DJ "Daddy-O" Dewey Phillips, who with other early DJs like Alan Freed introduced so-called "race" music (black music) to white radio listeners in the 1950s. Though Phillips was among those much later credited with aiding in the birth of rock 'n' roll, his wild, untameable personality kept him from sharing in the fame and fortune that would follow.

Bookwriter/lyricist Joe DiPietro ("All Shook Up") and composer David Bryan (from the rock band Bon Jovi) use Phillips' story as a backdrop for a larger study on how rock was born in the churches and blues clubs of black America, homogenized and sweetened for white listeners by savvy record producers and marketed to the masses by clean-cut television purveyors like Dick Clark.

In the musical, Phillips has become Huey Calhoun, a hillbilly DJ who not only loves Memphis blues, he secretly yearns for the girl who sings them ---- fiery black Felicia, who sings in her brother Delray's underground Beale Street club (smartly designed by scenic designer David Gallo).

Huey hopes to win Felicia's heart by making her a crossover star on his popular Memphis radio show, but Delray resents Huey's efforts to "steal black music" and Felicia at first resists the white-made label of rock, saying tersely: "Rock 'n' roll is just Negro blues, sped up."

It's a worthy story-framing device and fertile ground for a rich tapestry of music that Bryan creates with all the skill of a versatile composer. Whether it's gospel, honky-tonk, blues, R&B, pop or rock, he handles all the genres deftly, and he writes with an ear for the type of catchy hooks that have helped Bon Jovi sell 100 million albums.

Among the score's best numbers are those sung by the two lead actors ---- Chad Kimball and Montego Glover ---- who have been with the show since its first incarnation in Massachusetts five years ago.

Kimball, who plays Huey with the in-your-face eccentricity, loose-limbed physicality and folksy drawl of Jerry Lee Lewis, brings down the house with the number "Memphis Lives in Me." And Glover is a force of nature with her booming, searing vocals, particularly in the bitter ballad "Colored Woman" and "I Can Shake the Blues."

The big-cast numbers "The Music of My Soul" and "Steal Your Rock and Roll" are a wow. And "Say a Prayer," beautifully sung by James Monroe Inglehart, is a perfect fit of voice and melody.

As with many new musicals, though, there are too many songs. Not everyone needs a solo, especially Huey's mom with the cliched "white girl's got no soul" comic number "Shut Up and Change," or even "Someday," the forgettable pop song that supposedly launches Felicia to stardom.

DiPietro's book is slim, allowing much of the story to be told through his song lyrics, but some plot elements feel stretched, corny or contrived. Huey and Felicia are so different in personality and temperament, and they spend so little time together onstage, that it's hard to buy their years-long relationship. Then there's Gator, a young black man who's been mute since his father's lynching, but suddenly begins speaking when infused with rock 'n' roll fever. Or Bobby, the humble black radio station janitor with secret music in his soul and fast-shuffling feet.

Other stage stories ---- "Romeo and Juliet," "Dreamgirls" and "Hairspray" ---- have trodden some of this ground before, so what "Memphis" needs is less formula and more honesty. The musical focuses mainly on Huey as he finds himself, makes his mark, rises to fame and then is crushed by his own hubris.

But if this is also a love story, Felicia's tale feels truncated. What is her back story? What makes Huey appealing to her? How does she rise above a near-fatal race-related attack? And where does she end up?

None of these questions is answered, and the musical's timeline takes grand leaps, hopscotching through the years with huge gaps. The bittersweet reunion ending feels hastily written. It's a benign enough denouement, but why not tell the truth, which is even more compelling? Phillips died alone, broke and forgotten when he was just 42 ---- a tragically poetic end for a man who helped create a new wave of music but was ultimately swept under in its wake.

"Memphis: The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll"

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; 7 p.m. Sundays; through Sept. 28

Where: Mandell Weiss Theatre, UC San Diego, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla

Tickets: $42-$75

Phone: (858) 550-1010

Web: www.lajollaplayhouse.org