MEMPHIS - What A Difference a Pascal Makes!

I decided to check out MEMPHIS with Roger yesterday and was surprised at how much more I liked this show! Without that "nails on a chalkboard" performance by the retarded Matthew Mcconaughey, the character of Huey is actually a very good one! Adam plays the part wonderfully I thought, and even thought he's around 60 years old he comes off as so much younger and playful (in a good way, not in the "he needs 'round the clock special attention kind of way Kimball played it) that works wonders for the character and the show. It's a real shame it wasn't filmed with him in it, I think future generations looking back on it will have seen it much more favorably if it had been.

When I first saw the show I sort of applauded Kimball's efforts at attempting an accent and actually creating a character - for better or worse. Now watching it on Netflix his character is so incredibly annoying and weird. I'm not sure why she would fall for him.

I much prefer Chad Kimball's take on the character. He was at times pathetic, funny, and sexy. The way he kissed Felicia for the first time made you "get" it. That being said, Adam has a nice take on it but I think he needs some time to really settle into the acting. He has a tendency to speak too fast and often loses the humor. He sings the hell out of it, though - that part is fantastic.

Indeed. I think they show his performance to sex addicts to get them to quit.

I revisited the show yesterday for the matinee. I will be the first one to admit that I had already begun creating witty phrases for how much I disliked Pascal. I saw him in RENT, Aida, and various benefit concerts and he was always bad. Sounding bad, raw and usually forgetting the lines.

That being said, I really enjoyed him in Memphis. I am happy to say that I have finally seen him do something that I can applaud him for. It was great to hear him sound healthy and pull off a character. I believe that he will continue to grow in this character and only become better. I hope that his chords can keep up.

I should also mention that although Pascal and Kimball played the parts well, I too disliked the Kimballs accent, Kimball had a douche bag quality that Pascal lacked. Pascal was a little too willing to do, and give everything to his leading lady, Glover. I missed that struggle a bit.

Overall, kudos to Mr.Pascal and the cast of Memphis. The show looks fresh and the energy was there. Montego Glover still delivers and Nancy Opal tears up the stage in a way that Cass never could.

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even thought he's around 60 years old he comes off as so much younger and playful

That comment strikes me as unnecessary. People forget that Pascal was very young when he landed RENT; he's younger now than some people who played the role after him. He is barely in his 40s and can easily play younger. Kimball is 35. It's not like we're talking a huge age difference here.

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Updated On: 11/14/11 at 01:31 PM

I have not seen Adam Pascal in the role but I thought
Chad Kimball was terrific in the role. Why is everyone bad mouthing him so badly?

He had a character, personality and stage presence. He was charming and he sang well and he made me care for him.
What is everyone's problem with him????

I thought he deserved the Tony a hell of a lot more than Norbert Butz. In fact I thought Sean Hayes deserved the Tony more than Norbert Butz. Now Norbert Butz in Catch Me---That was an annoying chalk board performance.

WTF??????

To me, Kimball's performance (one of the worst things I've ever seen) was marred by his terrible accent (the worst accent I've ever seen in professional theatre). Every single line was delivered the same way, and punctuated with the same weird, frenetic half-laughs...he sounded literally mentally retarded (that somebody found him sexy is...wow, just wow).

Glad to hear Pascal is doing different things with the role, and I can't believe Montego Glover is still belting out those crazy notes! Is she the highest belter on Broadway right now? I hope I can snag tickets when I'm next in the city. :)

I decided to check out MEMPHIS with Roger...

I may have chortled.

oops I think i blurred the years again. but you get my point.

I agree with the anti-Kimball/pro-Pascal sentiments. I've seen it once with Chad and once with Adam, and found the latter occasion a much more pleasurable experience thanks to his take on Huey. Many of Kimball's choices were just bizarre and frequently off-putting.

I can't quite get behind the Montego Glover praise though - both times I've seen the show she's ducked out of the high notes in Colored Woman, and they're not even that high, relatively speaking. I have found her vocal performance to be really tentative on both occasions, and longed for someone to come and really belt that song, and others. I was thinking yesterday that Sasha Allen would absolutely destroy all of Felicia's songs (in a good way).

Also, does anyone else find Steal Your Rock'n'Roll to be a bit of a limp ending to the show? I loved the 2010 Tony Awards performance (thanks in part to Charlie Williams' arms) but in the show it's just a bit flat, and when Felicia rushes up to the front mic, actually quite comical (not in a good way).

Updated On: 11/16/11 at 06:29 AM

Ok, so is Huey retarded or not? Because honestly, that's what I got from Kimball. Nothing else. I, too, find it more than mildly disturbing that someone found that sexy. His performance ("accent"?) was just a mess, even though I didn't really mind his singing voice that much. Sort of reminded me of Heather Headley and her incessant mumbling.

Updated On: 11/16/11 at 08:52 AM

I think the general consensus is that Montego was not very good, but I have to say the night I saw it she was excellent. Maybe I was expecting less, or perhaps she just shined in comparison to Chad.

Either way I thought she was super.

On another side note, the woman playing Huey's mother was annoying as hell. She was mugging and hamming it up like crazy.

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