rOcKS @ 'Memphis'- Page 3

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 12:49am

I saw this tonight and was really really disappointed. I also went with 2 friends (both of whom are frequent theatregoers) who absolutely loved it. I did make it through both acts, but barely...I believe this is the only show I have seriously considered walking out of. I thought that the design aspects were really nice, particularly the sets, and the music (or at least some of it) is catchy but the show itself is a giant mess. I think that the story could be really moving and interesting if it were handled correctly (and more tastefully...a song called "Everybody Wants To Be Black on A Saturday Night" has no business being in a show that is supposedly handling race issues), but the characters are hardly fleshed out and thus it is hard to care about them or root for them in any way. Montego Glover has a great voice but isn't much of an actress. I thought Chad Kimball was trying really hard and doing the best anybody could with the material, but the character is just really unlikable and I think that's the biggest problem.

Also a lot of the music seemed disjointed from the rest of the story...Cass Morgan's second act number, although she sang the crap out of it, came out of thin air and stops the show in its tracks.

The audience around me, however, seemed to be really enjoying it, and most of the house was standing at the curtain call.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 2:59am

Sorry to keep asking,b ut did anyone try rushing this? I figured I'd have no problem, but thought Id ask.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 7:46am

Nice sets, nice costumes, the cast are energetic and talented, the lights go on and off, and the trap doors open and close with real precision.

If only the book and the score weren't so cliched. Seriously, a major Broadway musical in 2009 actually features this exchange:

Female Lead: You know how I know a man is lying to me?
Male Lead: How?
Female Lead: He opens his mouth.

That about sums up the level of the writing.

The cast by and large does its best with this stuff, but all of their efforts are undone by Chad Kimball's appalling decision to play Huey Calhoun like some kind of spastic George W. Bush. It got to the point where I just couldn't look at him. A real shame, because Kimball was one of the reasons I was interested in seeing the show in the first place. I'd enjoyed his Milky White in the INTO THE WOODS revival, and his tiny role in GOOD VIBRATIONS was the sole positive memory I have of that catastrophe. Why one earth he's decided to make Huey into such an obnoxious ass completely escapes me. I felt no pity for him at all, and most damagingly thought the female lead was an idiot for hanging out with him. She could surely do better than that twitching poseur.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 10:12am

RentBoy, I rushed yesterday morning and I got there at 9:40 and was the first in line. By the time the box office opened there were 2 people behind me. Rush seats seem to be in the front row right now.

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 11:07am

Off topic, but whatever...

Am I the only person on this thread who finds Namo absolutely hysterical? He makes me guffaw sitting here in my skivvies reading this board with my cuppa morning joe.

[hpeabody930]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 7:01pm

My friend's Facebook status tonight:
Lindsay F***** memphis the musical is going to win the tony.


Gave me a good laugh.
Updated On: 10/18/09 at 07:01 PM

[dshnookie]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 8:05pm

Was anyone there last night and stage doored?

I'm not entirely sure if it was the Next to Normal or Memphis stage door, but I thought it was the Memphis one. There was such a large crowd and a car trying to move within that crowd down Shubert Alley - the vehicle was trying to reverse and all of a sudden I heard a woman shriek. I looked but no one was hurt, but perhaps it hit the menu sign outside of Junior's. Then a man was being hurried along by another man yanking on his arm, both looking very upset. There was a lot of fuss going on around there, was wondering if anyone knew what happened.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 8:37pm

Female Lead: You know how I know a man is lying to me?
Male Lead: How?
Female Lead: He opens his mouth.

And that's a line that Judge Judy has been using for years now.

I agree, though, the writing in this show is so terribly amateurish. It's going to be a bloodbath tomorrow night.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 10:02pm

It opens tomorrow? Sweet. Something to look forward to.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 11:44pm

The audience I was with today gobbled this up. I could totally see this doing rather well commercially, despite the predicted poor reviews.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/19/09 at 12:37pm

I think it will be interesting to see how this goes, too. The audience ate it up the night I saw it also. It might be one of those critic-proof shows, but I can't see it having a particularly long run. You never know, though.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/19/09 at 12:45pm

Its VERY tricky to gauge an unbiased audience reaction when a show is in previews. Especially an "original musical" like MEMPHIS.

I swear I didn't see a single ticket that didn't say COMP on it the night that I went (which I believe was a Saturday). Many, many people who were in the audience were comped and connected with the production on a personal level. I mean, I've been comped for shows before and been told my the person giving me the comp to be "into the show" and "vocally responsive" and all that to amp up the audience reaction. Its like determining the fanbase of a sports team by its cheerleaders, in a way. They're there to cheer on the team, not to recognize whether or not they are absolutely incredible or absolutely horrific. I understand cheerleaders are PAID and comped theater-goers just see these shows for free, but generally there is a predispositioned interest in the show.

[LandofTy]

Posted: 10/19/09 at 1:16pm

Dumb question.

what does rOcKS stand for?

[classicalprose]

Posted: 10/19/09 at 5:03pm

I am very well aware that I'm in the tiny minority but I absolutely loved the show. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about it and therefore had somewhat low expectations which might be why I had so much fun. I realize it is not perfect. I know it has flaws and I know its not going to be loved by the critics but it's a good time. Like I said, it is not perfect and probably far from it but I had so much fun that I really didn't care. And still don't care.

I'm also aware that it might not last very long but the audience both times I went were on their feet clapping along at the end, having a wonderful time. I really do hope it survives the critics, if only because it's so refreshing to see a brand new musical on Broadway. Besides seeing Hair, I haven't had that much fun in a theatre in a while. Just adding my opinion since there aren't very many good opinions of it.
Updated On: 10/19/09 at 05:03 PM

[Basely Tearful]

Posted: 10/19/09 at 5:12pm

I saw it out-of-town and my audience was heavily comped (I among those). It's hard to tell how much of that audience reaction came from paying patrons not associated with the show.

To each their own but I found it a compete waste of time (aside from discovering Glover's glorious voice).

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 12:35am

I saw Memphis today on a whim and agree with everything you guys have said. It was horrendous! It's a shame nothing's changed (i.e. diction) since previews (although I think the jump roping was better, it's so hard to remember)! The audience completely ate it up though, I have no idea why.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 1:13am

I just re-read this thread. It's amazing how about 8 months after so many of us saw and detested this show, it received 8 Tony nominations and looks like a frontrunner in several of the categories in which it is nominated...indicative of how terrible this season has been for new musicals.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 1:35am

This thread depresses me. ::goes to bed::

[Freakyfreak]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 2:28am

... well MANY people out there liked it very much.
The ratings on every other site (besides this board here) are 95% really positive, so it doesn't really surprise me that it got 8 nominations.
Some people like it, some like it not.. We will see if it will really get honored on Sunday...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 3:04am

Well...it will.

[Freakyfreak]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 3:51am

"Well...it will."

I'm pretty sure they'll get "Best score", but I'm not sure about the other categories. We will see....

[americanboy99]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 11:20am

How did Kimball get nominated over Nathan Lane? SERIOUSLY.

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 11:25am

How did Kimball get nominated at all? Better (harsher) yet, how was he not replaced somewhere along the way? I thought the show could have had some good moments, but Kimball IMO was just so bad that I couldn't enjoy it. That's probably what did it for me, I hated Kimball and he was in (practically) every scene!

[Freakyfreak]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 1:46pm

"
How did Kimball get nominated at all? Better (harsher) yet, how was he not replaced somewhere along the way? I thought the show could have had some good moments, but Kimball IMO was just so bad that I couldn't enjoy it. That's probably what did it for me, I hated Kimball and he was in (practically) every scene! "

Didn't like him either, but I think it's more his role and the way he plays it...
Updated On: 6/10/10 at 01:46 PM

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 6/10/10 at 11:12pm

I suppose that's true, in which case I find not to be the best choice.... oh well.