rOcKS @ 'Memphis'

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/26/09 at 9:23pm

It's intermission.

If I hadn't told myself I'd try my hardest never to walk out of a show, I'd be on the street right now.

I mean...this is just bad. Kimball can't act and his singing voice is grating (why does he sound like a mix of Forrest Gump and Matthew McConaughey?), Glover has a gorgeous voice but can't act her way out of a paper bag, and...ugh. I'm gonna stick around for the second act and I'll obviously post more thoughts later but...sheesh.

Does the second act get any better?

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 9/26/09 at 9:26pm

I've heard it gets worse...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/26/09 at 9:35pm

Lord...

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/26/09 at 9:52pm

I wouldn't know.

I expect details about Act II, Rocks...'cause I fled.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 9/26/09 at 10:04pm

As I'm sure you know by now Rocks, wish I could have warned you earlier, Act II features more cliche, mare blandness, even more use of the most annoying catch phrase I've ever heard ("Hock-a-doo!"), and a finale that steals from those from Hairspray, Dreamgirls, and even Grease.

[April Saul]

Posted: 9/26/09 at 11:23pm

rOcKS,
But on the bright side--did you prevail at the Steady Rain stage door after our lousy shared experience earlier in the week?
April

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:05am

Oh.
My.
God.

I mean...I don't even know where to begin. I really hate to be so mean to shows, especially original shows, but this is just a mess of a show from beginning to end.

The book could not be more cliched. And it's TOTALLY underdeveloped in every sense. The characters are one dimensional, the message is forced, the relationships are not fleshed out at ALL, and everything about the book feels totally unreal and ridiculous. The whole journey that Huey takes is just so stupid. At the top of the second act when he says he got his own TV show, I literally slumped into my seat and said "oh my god..." Just awful. Could the last fifteen minutes have been ANY MORE rushed and could the previous two hours and fifteen minutes been ANY MORE stretched out?!

The score is just as much of a mess. No memorable songs AT ALL, none of them feel truthfully natural to that era, and the lyrics are laugh-out-loud bad. It's just an all-around mess. Glover's got a great voice but how many times do I need to hear her belt to the rafters? And I mean do we really need a number with Huey's mom letting loose like a poor man's Mary Testa and "testifying" about how she is no longer a racist because she attended one session of mass at a baptist church? Give me a break. I just felt so patronized by the score and book, to be quite honest. It felt like an after-school special that was overblown into a Broadway musical but that ripped off everything from DREAMGIRLS to HAIRSPRAY. Just because you try to copy great musicals does NOT MEAN THE MUSICAL YOU'RE MAKING WILL BE GREAT. When are people going to learn that?

The best thing about this show is the cast, even though they've got major problems themselves. Ok, I won't spend too much time on Chad Kimball but he is giving a horrendous performance. Just...really bad. Montego Glover can't act but she sings well. I'll address other performances if I'm asked but basically everyone else was just good enough. The ensemble is good...even though the jumprope number was a mess because the girl kept tripping on the ropes. Also, EVERYONE in this cast needs work on their diction. I could barely understand anything they sang. Seriously.

But basically everything else was just...not very good at all. The sets made the huge stage look so cramped and crowded, the lighting was repetitive and unoriginal, the orchestra sounded good and the choreography was fine even if it was a HAIRSPRAY ripoff. The direction was really bad and just made the show drag even more.

I'm sorry if this comes off as harsh. I'm just trying to be honest...this show is a really trainwreck. The critics are going to have a field day.

I don't even know where to start with ideas on how to fix it. I'd be happy to answer any questions, as usual. Yankee, you had the right idea. The second act was about ten times worse than the first.

1/2 out of ****


PS: April, yes! I got my autographs AND a picture WITH Hugh! Everything happens for a reason, I guess! Updated On: 9/27/09 at 12:05 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:06am

Why in the the world did this come to Broadway?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:10am

That's exactly what I asked myself when it was over, ljay.

It has NOTHING new to say. It's shoddily put together. It's a rip-off of so many other shows. I just don't get it.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:24am

You and I are on the same page with this one, rocks!

This show is just put together in such a clunky manner. It reminds me of a juke box musical, in that the plot seems so awkwardly placed around the songs. The thing is, this is an original score so the book should be able to be integrated with the music.

I want to know what kind of changes, if any, will be made before opening. If after two out of town try-outs they weren't able to get it right, what good is this preview period going to be?

Did this get mostly positive reviews out of town?

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:43am

You gave it 1/2 a star more than I did !! People that know me on the boards are aware that I can be quote obsessive with shows if I like them.

I have no problem seeing something good over and over-

There is no way that I would be able to sit thru this again -- mainly due to Kimball's voice !!! That accent ... !!! AH !!!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:46am

Testing- I agree that Kimball's accent was just awful. Is anyone from Memphis and can vouch for that accent? If it is authentic, why is he the only one with it? I mean wouldn't his mother at least have the same accent? You would assume he picked up his speech patterns from her.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:52am

<< Testing- I agree that Kimball's accent was just awful. Is anyone from Memphis and can vouch for that accent? If it is authentic, why is he the only one with it? I mean wouldn't his mother at least have the same accent? You would assume he picked up his speech patterns from her.
>>

I kept thinking the same thing ! Why is he the only one speaking like that !? Then I thought--- imagine if MORE than one person on stage actually did???!!!!

Why did the last word of every sentence have to be three syllables !!!?? "Me" and "Be" do NOT have three syllables !

[saveusmike]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:57am

Rock congrats atleast about your sigs and picture!

But I am so dissapointed in all of your reviews.. I am seeing the show in 3 weeks and was kinda looking foward to it..Im not going to completly rule out the show until I see it for myself (Everyones oppinion is diffrent) but wow I dont think I head one good review from anyone here...


With all these bad reviews and little to no press, I wouldnt see this running very long if its as bad as you all say it is.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 12:58am

Did Kimball not sound like Forrest Gump?

I mean...does he realize there's a huge difference between playing someone who wasn't schooled very well and someone with a mental disability? Seriously...


This is turning out to be a season of bad accents. Marin Ireland in AFTER MISS JULIE, Jackman struggled a bit with the Chicago accent in A STEADY RAIN (but it wasn't that bad), and now Kimball. Updated On: 9/27/09 at 12:58 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 1:03am

i give it 1-2 months of performances...this will be panned by the critics

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 1:10am

i give it 1-2 months of performances...this will be panned by the critics

Will it even last that long at this rate?

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 1:15am

<< Did Kimball not sound like Forrest Gump? >>

Forrest Gump would have been an improvement !!! Unless he said "Huckadoo" every three seconds !!! What the heck is "Huckadoo"?

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 1:20am

What the heck is "Huckadoo"?

no that you'll care but i think it's "hockadoo" and a made-up catchword for his character?


Updated On: 9/27/09 at 01:20 AM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 1:22am

Glory Days 2: El Memphis Boogaloo

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 1:24am

adamgreer, with horrendous pans, it may last less than a month, but even GOOD VIBRATIONS lasted 91 performances. I'd be surprised if MEMPHIS turns out to run fewer than 50 performances - ie: I don't think it will be a one-performance, five-performance, or two-week flop (but I do think it will flop nonetheless).

The one thing I'm sure we will all agree on is that MEMPHIS will close before 2010. Why any producers would see this show and decide that it is worthy for Broadway puzzles me...
Updated On: 9/27/09 at 01:24 AM

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 6:01am

Yes Whizzer, it got great reviews in Seattle. However, Seattle really only has one critic left, at the Seattle Times, and she really only writes plot summary and cAonfusing reviews that are more passive, robotic raves than actual educated opinion (I hate to be harsh but she's really a horrible writer). And while I love living here, and I hate to make this sweeping generalization, Seattle audiences are notoriously kind, especially to musicals at the 5th Avenue. This has baffled me, as I loathed this and thought Catch Me if YOu Can was deeply flawed (though fixable), but the best I can gather is that they're deeply desperate for another Hairspray (our only truly successful out-of town tryout). Wedding Singer, Shrek, and Young Frankenstein all played like gangbusters here, in terms of general audience reaction, but all met much different reactions once they moved to New York. This isn't the best town to try-out in. Though I'm glad we get pre-Broadway shows here, everything has been a turd since Hairspray. I think producers are getting better opinions in San Francisco and Chicago to be honest.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 8:23am

<< no that you'll care but i think it's "hockadoo" and a made-up catchword for his character? >>

I dont think its a made-up catchword FOR his character--- more like a made-up catchword BY the character--- they actually put it on a shirt !!!

Anyway--- as long as I dont have to sit thru this disaster again, its ok.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 8:29am

Look, the only reason we can only feasibly play the "how long is it gonna last?" game is because there's absolutely NO publicity.

[massofmen]

Posted: 9/27/09 at 9:52am

if it makes it to xmas it will close in Jan