I think this is the first time I’ve ever written this in a story: RUN, DON’T WALK, TO THE ORPHEUM AND SEE FUNNY GIRL.
Like many people, I remember seeing Barbra Streisand on television singing the show’s big hit, “People.” She played Fanny Brice in the 1964 Broadway production.
I knew all the songs. I learned how to play “People” by ear on the piano. We didn’t buy the “original soundtrack album,” but I think we rented it at the library — back when you could do that.
I saw the 1968 movie with Streisand delivering her well-deserved Oscar-winning performance, but I’d never seen the show until I attended the opening night performance of Funny Girl October 10th at The Orpheum.
Wow. I was blown away. I was telling people it was “the feel-good musical of the year 1964.” But it’s also the feel good musical of 2023.
The cast was great, but I’m going to single out Katerina McCrimmon, who played Fanny Brice. What a voice. She held the audience mesmerized as she sang on “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “I’m the Greatest Star,” just to name a couple.
I asked Brett Batterson, Orpheum president and CEO, what he thought about McCrimmon. “This is probably going to be her big break. Doing this tour,” he says. “She’s blowing away all the critics across the country with the power of her voice.”
And, he adds, “I think we’re going to see her doing something big on Broadway, some day, because of this tour.”
Brett Batterson, Kristin Bennett, Steve Conley, Amy Conley at Funny Girl at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Batterson first heard McCrimmon’s voice on a video some friends in Providence, Rhode Island, sent him. “This tour was launched in Providence not too long ago,” he says. “They sent me an email: ‘OMG you are going to love Katrina.” And they just raved about how good she was.”
Batterson hasn’t yet met McCrimmon, but he did meet Melissa Manchester, who plays — to perfection — Brice’s mother. “I’m such a Melissa Manchester fan. I wrote a fan letter in the program to Melissa Manchester.”
Funny Girl will run through Sunday, October 15th. “The show is doing well, says Batterson. “And we’re very early in the tour. Our sales are strong compared to other markets. We’re doing well.”
And the good news for those who haven’t gotten tickets? “There are still seats available.”
So, let me reiterate: RUN. DON’T WALK.
Thomas Nichols and Jenny Vego at Funny Girl opening night at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Corey and Mary Trotz at Funny Girl opening night at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Melinda Winchester, Terry and Mike McGee, Rebecca Winchester at Funny Girl opening night at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Funny Girl at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)WE SAW YOU
The cast of Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations" gets a standing ovation. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations is one of the best shows I’ve seen. It’s joyful, yet it can also make you shed a tear or two. I saw it on opening night — March 7th — at The Orpheum, where it’s playing now through March 12th.
The musical, which chronicles the ups and downs of the longtime Motown singing group, is a musical where you already know the songs before you sit down. But, as one of the group’s song titles states: “Get Ready.” You’re in for a treat. The songs, the performers, the fabulous story, and the Tony Award for Best Choreography that go with it make this a memorable blockbuster on the boards.
The captivating performances include Elijah Ahmad Lewis’s wildly-out-of-control David Ruffin, and Michael Andraeus’s trying-to-keep-it-together unofficial group leader Otis Williams.
Another captivating performance is by Jalen Harris, who plays Eddie Kendricks. What makes him even more captivating — in addition to his flawlessly fluid dancing and his powerful vocals — is the fact he’s from Memphis. We can claim him.
Jalen Harris in Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations (Copyright 2021 Emilio Madrid)
I talked to Harris the next day. A native Memphian, Harris is a graduate of Harding Academy.
He’s done just about everything. When he was 15, he sang on season 10 of American Idol.
He’s a model, who recently did runway work for some bridal shows for Men’s Wearhouse.
As an actor, he appeared in HBO’s Lovecraft Country. “I played the Moroccan bartender on episode seven.”
And he’s an R&B crossover artist with “some new music coming up.”
Asked what it was like to portray Kendricks in Ain’t Too Proud, Harris says, “It’s a dream come true. And I myself am a musician and this is my first time ever to do any biographical work as an actor.”
And, he adds, “I’ve learned things about myself. Also, in my journey portraying him.”
Their similarities include “growing up in the church and singing gospel music and branching off into rhythm and blues. I definitely went down that same path.”
Harris sang at Williams Temple Church of God in Christ. He was lead singer in his brother’s group, City Mix.
Also, Harris says, “It’s an honor because I am etched into history as a Temptation for the rest of my life.”
Jalen Harris (center) in Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations(Copyright 2021 Emilio Madrid)Elijah Ahmad Lewis as David Ruffin, center stage; Jamel Harris as Eddie Kendricks, second from left in Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations(Copyright 2021 Emilio Madrid)
He loves “being from Memphis and doing something so special regarding Detroit and the Motown sound. I was at Stax today seeing all the musical history there at Soulsville here in Memphis. I feel like I’m in the best of both worlds.”
Being from Memphis means he’s “part of something so much bigger” than himself, Harris says. “Politically, creatively, and artistically — musically as well — I feel like it’s a responsibility for me as an artist.”
Like when he travels to other places. “They see Memphis when they see me. And they hear Memphis. That is so important to me.
“The same blood that runs through the veins of the other musicians in Memphis runs through me, too.”
Harris obviously loves his hometown. He got a chance to recently perform an important job at The Peabody. “I’m so grateful, honored, and humbled to be the Duckmaster the other day.”
He thought, “I’m not worthy of this.”
Jalen Harris pictured in my program. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Anne and Pat Halloran were first nighters at the show. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Phyllis Roy (Credit: Michael Donahue)Kevin and Haden Kane (Credit: Michael Donahue)Ron and Vicki Olson (Credit: Michael Donahue)WE SAW YOU
"Pretty Woman The Musical" cast members receive a standing ovation on opening night at The Orpheum. Photo by Michael Donahue.
My sister and I were trying figure out our Top 10 list of shows we’ve seen at the Orpheum. I included Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird with Richard Thomas, the recent Jesus Christ Superstar, and a production I saw years ago of Hello, Dolly! with Michele Lee. As a bonus that night, I got to meet the down-to-earth Lee, who I really liked.
But I added a new one this week: Pretty Woman The Musical, which I saw opening night, October 11th. It’s just great. The cast is amazing. The show is upbeat. It’s one of those feel-good shows in every respect.
One way I could tell I wasn’t the only one who left the theater feeling positive about life was the way everybody was being so nice to each other. They were cheerfully asking me what I thought about the play. A lot of smiles. It seemed like the majority of people out on the sidewalk were grinning and chatting away as they were about to embark in their vehicles. Nothing wrong with that.
I saw and liked the movie version of Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts when it came out in 1990, but I don’t remember much about it.
Of course, you’re going to compare the movie stars to the stage actors in the same roles. But the good thing is nobody is copying off of anybody else in the stage adaptation. Adam Pascal, who plays the uptight, money-hungry, unscrupulous, afraid-of-heights Edward Lewis, isn’t Gere. He seems more patrician, more of an old-money-looking guy than Gere’s portrayal. Both were great.
And Jessie Davidson was equally fine as Vivian Ward, the streetwalker who knows she’s supposed to be walking another path. She just doesn’t know what that path is.
The night I saw the musical was Davidson’s first official performance in the role. During the show’s standing ovation, Davidson was given flowers like her character was given flowers at various times in the show. But this time she didn’t toss them away.
Two of my favorites in Pretty Woman The Musical were the extraordinary Kyle Taylor Parker, who pops up as all different types of characters during the musical. If I’m not wrong, he got the strongest applause during the standing ovation.
It seemed like most of the cast members played a multitude of roles, changing from street people to Rodeo Drive dress shop employees to La Traviata opera singers.
I especially liked Keyonna Knight, who played the tough, funny, and tender streetwalker Kit De Luca the night I saw the musical.
And Trent Soyster, who played the “Giulio” the bellboy, made the show with every expression on his face as he reacted to whatever was going on — whether it was dancing with a mop or just realizing exactly what went on in the hotel room with Edward and Vivian the night before. He got a big round of applause, too.
Pretty Woman The Musical runs through October 16th.
Carla Davidson and Jonathan Elyashiv at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Rachel Maxann at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Gia Gates, June Orr, Monique Larocque, Layanna Willis at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Diane Vescovo and Mike McLaren at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Alice Kerley and Meggie Carrier at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Ross Devlin and Caryn Hawkins at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Kim Thomas and Eso Tolson at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Ryan and Neely McDurmon at “Pretty Woman The Musical” at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue) We Saw You
Shereen Ahmed and Laird Mackintosh take the spotlight as the "My Fair Lady" cast takes its bows at The Orpheum. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
I waited almost 70 years to see the stage version of My Fair Lady. I finally saw the show last night, July 26th, at The Orpheum.
The legendary Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison came out in 1956 when I was either in kindergarten or the first grade. We bought original soundtrack albums of Broadway shows, but, for some reason, we didn’t buy the one for My Fair Lady. We did get it at the Memphis Public Library, which had a vast collection of 33 rpm records in plastic covers.
I remember getting one of those albums by orchestras that played selections from Broadway shows. I got it at the old Downtown Goldsmith’s department store on a trip with my mother, brother, and sister in the late ’50s or early ’60s. One side was My Fair Lady and the other, The King and I. It was good, but not the same as the original.
Heck, I even interviewed Julie Andrews, the star of the original, back in the day. Andrews, who was extremely nice as you’d expect Mary Poppins and Maria in TheSound of Music to be, was in Memphis for a fundraising luncheon at The Peabody.
The production at The Orpheum didn’t disappoint. Shereen Ahmed, who played Eliza Doolittle, reminded me so much of Andrews. And I’m never going to forget the excellent “Wouldn’t it be Loverly” number with Ahmed and chorus. Rousing and great.
I liked Henry Higgins, who was played by Laird Mackintosh. He’s the professor who decides to make a lady out of Eliza, a poor flower girl whose speech is unrefined. Rex Harrison played him on stage.
I also liked Martin Fisher, who played the boisterous Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza’s dad. Stanley Holloway played him in the original production.
I liked everybody, actually. A super cast.
There’s something about going Downtown to see a stage production or a movie or a concert. The first show I saw was a touring production of Porgy and Bess at the old Auditorium. I was in the famous nosebleed section. I also saw Jimi Hendrix twice at the Auditorium. I think I was on the last row both times. I still remember coming out of those old theaters on Main Street after seeing a movie at night with the family. I always got a syrupy Coke, butter-slathered popcorn, and a thick Charms lollipop during the movie. Cherry, mostly.
I asked Orpheum president/CEO Brett Batterson to tell me a bit about this production of My Fair Lady. “They restaged this in 2018,” he says. “This production was nominated for 10 Tony awards, including Best Musical Revival. This was not the original, at all.
“First off, they’ve tempered Henry Higgins a little bit. So, he’s not quite as misogynistic as he was in 1956. They’ve at least recognized times have changed somewhat. A lot of musicals don’t do that and they get flack for that. They tried to make his attitude toward Eliza based more on speech and less on misogynism. They made him a little more human.
“Then mostly what I like is how big is. It’s a big musical. Lots of scenery. Lots of beautiful costumes. Lots of great action, chorus numbers, classic songs. To me, it’s everything you want a classic musical to be.”
This is the third time My Fair Lady has been shown at The Orpheum, Batterson says. The musical also was presented in 1989 and 2005.
My Fair Lady runs through July 31st at The Orpheum.
Erica Ferell and Betsy Bush at My Fair Lady at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)Ben Roberts and Shoshana Cenker at My Fair Lady (Credit: Michael Donahue)Andrew “Latty” Latimer and Erin Austin at My Fair Lady (Credit: Michael Donahue)Kayla Dawson and Coco June at My Fair Lady (Credit: Michael Donahue)My niece, Alice Kerley, and her husband, Patrick Kerley, got to see the stage production of My Fair Lady a lot sooner than I did. (Credit: Michael Donahue)My Fair Lady opening night at The Orpheum (Credit: Michael Donahue)We Saw You
Jesus Christ Superstar rocks the Orpheum as the last show of the “pandemic” season.
October 5, 2021 is a day Brett Batterson will never forget. That’s when Come From Away opened at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Memphis, marking the return to live performance after 18 months of pandemic shutdown.
“That opening night is one of the greatest nights I’ve ever experienced in my career,” says Batterson, the Orpheum’s president and CEO. “Everybody was so excited to be there, and the audience was just so grateful for Broadway to be back in the Orpheum. The cast was excited to perform for people. It was like a magic stew of emotions that was just wonderful.”
When Jesus Christ Superstar opened on June 28th, it marked the belated end of the star-crossed season that began in March 2020. “It feels really good to have what we call the pandemic season behind us, and we start our new season in just a few weeks with My Fair Lady, followed by To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Located at the western edge of Beale Street, the century-old theater has witnessed a lot of changes Downtown, but nothing like the last few years. It has been a time of both growth and tragedy. “I think Downtown Memphis is starting to see the resurgence, the coming out of the plague. If you come down here on a Friday or Saturday night, there are people everywhere. I don’t think we’ve seen the return of all the office workers that we need for the restaurants to have a lunch crowd, but on a weekend night, there’s a lot of people down here.”
Batterson sees the crowds as a continuation of positive trends the pandemic interrupted. “When I first arrived in Memphis six and a half years ago, I think Memphis was just at the tail end of the low self-esteem problem that Memphis has suffered from since the assassination of Dr. King. Shortly after I arrived, people started making plans and talking about how great of a city it is. Nashville is a tourist trap while Memphis retains its soul and authenticity. That’s the big change I’ve seen — Memphis is proud of itself again, as it should be.”
The Orpheum is about to dance into its next season in late July with My Fair Lady, followed by To Kill a Mockingbird.
Downtown Delights
The Orpheum was once a movie palace owned by Memphis-based Malco Theatres. Just a short hop down Front Street, Malco’s newest movie palace is the Powerhouse, a seven-screen multiplex built around a historic structure which once provided steam power for next door’s Central Station. On Saturdays, the Powerhouse’s parking lot plays host to the Downtown Memphis Farmers Market. Sergio Brown is one of the dozens of vendors who gather under the T-shaped shelter every week to hawk their locally produced wares. His company, Earthworm Plants, is based across the river in West Memphis. “We just started, so this is our first year here in Memphis,” he says. “The support we’ve gotten from Downtown has been amazing. When people from other states come here, they’re just amazed at what we do.”
Earthworm Plants is part of a wave of new businesses that have opened in the pandemic era. A few blocks to the east is South Point Grocery, the latest venture by Castle Retail’s Rick James, which filled a need created by Downtown’s growing population. But South Point’s biggest draw is the sandwich counter, run by Josh McLane.
Like many people in Memphis, McLane is a man of many hustles. He’s a well-known comedian and drummer in the punk-folk duo Heels. (Their new album, Pop Songs for a Dying Planet, will be released in October.) His sandwich skills first got attention when he manned the kitchen at the Hi Tone music venue. “Unlike other people, when I’m hammered and make a sandwich at 3 in the morning, I write it down,” he says.
At lunch time, there’s a steady stream of foot traffic coming through the door for McLane’s creations. “I genuinely get a kick out of being able to say, ‘Come see us for lunch, and I will get you outta here in five minutes, unless we have a giant line — and even then, it’s gonna take 10, tops.’”
McLane says the wave of new businesses was born of necessity. “That first year of Covid, everybody started opening something, either because you had nothing to do or you had no money coming in. And after that first year, everybody who wasn’t good at it or didn’t have a good enough sustaining idea got weeded out and everybody else just kept going.”
Good Fortune Co. is a new eatery that has been earning raves Downtown. Co-owner Sarah Cai lived in Collierville until she was 13, when her father was sent to China to open a new FedEx hub. “I’m from here, and I always wanted to come back,” she says. “We had been paying attention to restaurants in the area and what was popular. There was really nothing like this kind of cuisine, and from what I could tell, there was nobody who could bring the kind of experience that we have had, traveling and working abroad in different places.”
All of the food at Good Fortune Co. is made by hand. “The kimchi is important to me,” Cai says. “It’s something I’ve always made on my own because when you buy it, it just doesn’t taste the same. The whole [restaurant] concept stemmed from scratch-made noodles that have always been a huge part of my food. Dumplings are my food love, my passion. I’ve been making them since I was a kid with my family. They had to be on the menu. I knew I wanted it to be Asian, but influenced by a lot of different regions, not necessarily Chinese or Japanese. My background is really mixed. My mom’s Malaysian and my dad’s Chinese. I’ve traveled all around Southeast Asia, so I’ve been inspired by a lot of different flavors. What I wanted to showcase here is the fusion of those authentic flavors. The food itself is kind of Asian-American — like myself.
“I’ve been able to come back and rediscover the city as an adult. It’s a totally different experience. Memphis is really cool! I’ve lived in China, Austria, Europe. I’ve traveled all around the world, and Memphis is one of the most authentic cities I’ve ever been in. It’s gritty, but it’s all part of the charm — it’s just a genuine place. I’m really happy to be able to be a part of this world now.”
A larger-than-life Red Queen plays her twisted game of croquet at the Memphis Botanic Garden.
New Growth
She’s 19 feet tall, weighs 15,110 pounds, and her dress is made from 6,507 plants. The Red Queen is the most spectacular creation of “Alice’s Adventures at the Garden,” the larger-than-life new exhibit at the Memphis Botanic Garden. The living statuary of the timeless characters from Alice In Wonderland, like the Cheshire Cat, the Queen’s chessboard full of soldiers, and Alice herself, originated at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Alice and her companions have made a big splash, says Olivia Wall, MBG’s director of marketing. But the exhibit is just one of the new features at the 96-acre garden. “We have gone through a lot of transformation,” she says. “We are just finishing up a capital campaign that was focused on campus modernizations, so part of that, like the visitor center, was completely redone in 2022. It’s been a lot of change and a lot of transformation for the better. We are always focused on our mission, which is connecting people with plants. How can we best do that?”
The Alice figures are made from steel armatures and given color and shape by plants and flowers. In the summer heat, it can take 90 minutes just to water the Red Queen. Other artists were invited to participate. “We have these renditions of the White Rabbit around the grounds that local artists created,” Wall says.
There are also interactive elements. “It’s classic literature, so we have quotes from the book around to help put it into context. Kids can have their own imaginary tea party. They can pretend to be the March Hare or the Mad Hatter.”
Wall came to Memphis in 2014 to get her master’s degree from Memphis College of Art. The Cooper-Young resident says she’s a “Midtowner through and through.”
Midtown has been the focus of intense development in the pandemic era, with new apartment complexes springing up everywhere. “They’re called ‘five-over-ones,’” says F. Grant Whittle. “They’re the apartment buildings like they’ve got on McLean and Madison. They are built with concrete on the first floor and then stick on the upper floors. They’re easily put up. They’re not hideous, and they’re not beautiful, but just getting apartments in place for people to live is important right now.”
Whittle and his husband Jimmy Hoxie recently opened The Ginger’s Bread & Co. on Union Avenue. “Jimmy was working at City & State making pastries, and they didn’t need him anymore because they didn’t have many customers. At the same time, a man moved out of a duplex we owned and I said, ‘Jimmy, why don’t you go over there and start baking? We can sell your stuff online.’ And so, that’s what we’ve been doing since the beginning of the pandemic. Then, I was let go from my job. I needed something to do. So we sold the duplex, and we used the money to open this place.”
Since they opened earlier this summer, bread, cookies, and cheesecake have been flying off the shelves. “I think that this little part of Union is ripe for renewal and regrowth,” Whittle says. “I really like Cameo, which is a bar that just opened at Union and McLean. I can walk there in five minutes. They’re still getting their sea legs. They’re trying to do a good product there, and the food is not too bad.”
Midtown remains a cultural center. The history of Memphis music is enshrined on Beale, but the present and future lives in places like The Lamplighter, B-Side, and Hi Tone. The reopened Minglewood Hall is once again hosting national touring acts. In the Crosstown Concourse, the Green Room offers intimate live music experiences, and the 400-seat Crosstown Theater recently put on a blockbuster show by electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk. Not far from the towering Concourse is Black Lodge.
The movie mecca began life more than two decades ago as a tiny Cooper-Young video store. Now, it not only boasts one of the largest DVD and Blu-ray collections in America, but also a state-of-the-art sound system and multiple projection screens. “We’re proud to be serving a full menu of food as well as a full bar,” says Lodge founder Matt Martin. “Come in and check out some of our signature cocktails and dishes designed by our chef and co-owner James Blair. We are pleased to finally offer a full nightclub experience to Midtown Memphis. We’ve got great EDM shows, great bands, movie screenings, burlesque and drag shows, comedy, and video game tournaments — and our AC is amazing!”
Jessica Hunt tends bar at the artsy and new Inkwell.
Another Midtown dream realized is Inkwell. The popular Edge District bar was founded by Memphis artist Ben Colar. “The concept was to create a super dope cocktail bar where people could just kind of be themselves,” says bartender Jessica Hunt. “It’s Black-owned, so Ben wanted to show the city that there are Black bartenders that can do really good craft cocktails.”
The relaxed vibe is maintained via cocktails like the Sir Isaac Washington, a complex, rum-based, summery drink. “It’s always a breath of fresh air to come in here and work around people I love,” says Hunt. “Plus, I get to meet so many cool, artsy people!”
Yola, Oliva DeJonge, Baz Luhrmann, Tom Hanks, Alton Mason, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Jerry Schilling, Pricilla Presley, Riley Keough, and Lisa Marie Presley at the Graceland premiere of Elvis.
Music for the Masses
“Memphis’ identity is its musical history,” says the Orpheum’s Batterson. “Our tourism is music tourism. There may be some Broadway fans, or the timing may be right so that we’ve got Bonnie Raitt or Bob Dylan at the Orpheum, but most of the tourists are music people who want to hang out on Beale Street, go to Graceland, go to the Stax Museum, go to Sun Studio.
“I think we have some real gems in our museum system, from the National Civil Rights Museum to the Brooks and the Dixon and MoSH. An hour at Sun Studio is probably one of the most important hours you can spend in Memphis — that and going to Stax and seeing Isaac Hayes’ gold-plated car!
“I am shocked at how many Memphians have told me they’ve never been to Graceland. To me, you’ve got to go once. If you never go back, that’s up to you. But you’ve got to go once. How could you have this huge, international tourist attraction in your city and not ever go? I don’t get that.”
With Elvis, the spectacular new biopic from Australian director Baz Luhrmann, the King of Rock-and-Roll is once again topping the box office. After earning a 12-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, Luhrmann and his stars, including Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, made their American debut at the Guest House at Graceland. “It’s something that younger people don’t understand,” said Luhrmann to a packed house. “They know they’re very interested in this film because they’re very interested in instant fame. You can get on TikTok and have 20 million followers the next day, and you’re famous. But when Elvis came along, the teenager had just been invented. The idea of young people with money was a new idea. There was no precedent for someone driving a truck one minute and being a millionaire and the most famous man on the planet the next.”
As he stood on stage with Elvis’ wife Priscilla Presley, daughter Lisa Marie, and granddaughter, actor/director Riley Keough, Hanks, who plays Elvis’ infamous manager Col. Tom Parker, recounted the welcome they had received. “We visited the home of the King last night. It is a place that is, I think, as hallowed as any president’s home, as any museum dedicated to a particular type of art. What’s unique about it is, it is so firmly stamped with the name Presley, and it would not have existed were it not for the city of Memphis and the genius of a one-of-a-kind artist who, more than anybody else in music or any sort of presentational art, deserves the moniker of the singular word ‘King.’”
"Jesus Christ Superstar" cast members get some love from the audience at The Orpheum. (Credit: Alice Kerley)
Well, I was blown away by Jesus Christ Superstar when I saw it on June 28th at The Orpheum.
I’d seen parts of the 1973 movie, but I’d never seen it on stage. I did catch the end, I believe, and I covered the cast party at a stage production years ago at The Orpheum.
I remember photographing Ted Neeley, the movie Jesus who also played Jesus in that earlier stage production at The Orpheum. Neeley was late arriving to the after party. Kate Pera, one of the guests, said, “Isn’t there a hymn called ‘Waiting for Jesus’?”
Honestly, I could go back night after night — and matinees — to see this current production of the musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice at The Orpheum.
It harkened back to when I went to see the 1970 production of Hair directed by Dr. Keith Kennedy at my alma mater, University of Memphis, when it was Memphis State University. I do remember being astonished at how much hair the musical’s co-writer, Gerome Ragni, who was at the presentation, had at the time. Maybe that’s why I kept mine growing all these years.
Like Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera. It was great to hear songs, including “Hosanna,” which I hadn’t thought of since I heard them on the album when it came out in 1970. The album preceded the stage production. I’m still singing songs after hearing them the other night, which, they say, is the test of a good musical. I’m sure my neighbor is a little puzzled after hearing me constantly singing the lyrics, “Always hoped that I’d be an uh-pahhh-suhl [apostle],” from “The Last Supper.”
Waiting for Jesus Christ Superstar to begin at The Orpheum. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Aaron LaVigne was fantastic as Jesus. His voice, his bearing, everything. This isn’t the Jesus with the long, dark hair, mustache, and beard. This is a lanky, light-colored hair Jesus with, what I first thought, was a man bun.
Jenny Mollet, as Mary Magdalene, was superb. She’s listed in the program as an understudy to “Mary.” Her rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” was flawless. I realized I knew all the words to that song, thank you, Helen Reddy.
And I thought Tommy McDowell, who played Peter, was fabulous. He looks like what I’ve always imagined Peter to look and act like — blonde and sometimes clueless when dealing with Jesus.
I also liked Omar Lopez-Cepero who played the conniving Judas Iscariot with just the right touch of nastiness.
The production is basically non-stop music. And those dancers who have to play different characters in the musical are astonishing. All that writhing and dancing and twisting and turning and falling on the floor must be extremely strenuous. Elvis would have been impressed.
According to my nephew, who looked around while I was doing it, I was the first to stand up and give the cast a standing ovation. But I did wait until the show was over.
Jesus ChristSuperstar runs through July 3rd at The Orpheum.
Bev Johnson was at the June 28th performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Gayle and Dave Woloshin and Steve Conley and Jeanie Gunlach at Jesus Christ Superstar (Credit: Michael Donahue)Devan, Cynthia, Jason, and Noel Sengel at Jesus Christ Superstar (Credit: Michael Donahue)We Saw You
Janet Dacal and Sasson Gabay. (Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade)
Imagine you’re attending a musical when all of a sudden, the curtain drops unexpectedly in the middle of a scene. Clearly something is wrong, but you don’t know what the issue might be. You might expect an audience to get impatient or angry in that kind of situation. But that wasn’t the case during opening night of The Band’s Visit at The Orpheum Theatre. Sitting in the orchestra section of the Orpheum, I was struck by the atmosphere in the room after the stage manager informed the audience that there was a problem with the sound board and that the show would resume shortly. It was a mark of how invested in the story the audience was that everyone remained relaxed. We were willing to wait. This show was worth our patience.
The break in the show happened at an opportune moment, and the scene after our unanticipated intermission opened with actor Billy Cohen sweeping onto the stage in roller skates while disco music thumped through the theater. The audience immediately took the opportunity to show their support, clapping with the rhythm of the beat and cheering wildly. The brief interlude and temporarily disabled sound board were entirely forgotten. Sasson Gabay, who reprised the role of Tewfiq after having played it in the initial film and for a year on Broadway, told me over the phone that sometimes the audience can be uplifted by such an event. “They feel like they are experiencing something rare, something original, something unique.” It was the kind of unexpected moment every theatergoer longs to see. That kind of shared magical moment can only be found during a live performance. It was a beautiful thing to witness and to be a part of. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The 10-time Tony Award-winning Best Musical, The Band’s Visit, based on the 2007 Israeli film of the same name, takes place over the course of one night in the small town of Bet Hatikva, not to be confused with the larger city of Petah Tikva. (That’a a joke, because a mix up between the names of the two places is what starts the entire show.)
The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, led by Colonel Tewfiq, accidentally ends up taking a bus to the wrong town after the ticket clerk misunderstands the Egyptian accent of Haled, one of the younger members of the band. The orchestra finds themselves stranded for the night in Bet Hatikva, a town described by the locals as “the middle of nowhere.” The beautiful yet jaded cafe owner, Dina — played by Janet Decal in a sensuous, wonderfully sardonic performance — takes in Tewfiq and Haled. Other members of the band are graciously taken in by various citizens of the small community.
Joe Joseph, Sasson Gabay, Janet Dacal. (Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade)
The show follows several natives of the town, intimately highlighting the everyday stories in a way not usually seen in a Broadway musical. In fact, there were many things about this show that I wouldn’t normally associate with a Broadway musical. I think that’s why I loved it so much. The pacing is deliberately languid, matching the low-key energy of a place where everyone is perpetually waiting for something — anything — to happen. Here is a musical that highlights the stories of people that everyone can relate to, transforming commonplace themes from mundane to lovely. Gabay commented that he was taken aback by how people related to the production. “I was always surprised and really astonished that the audience in Broadway, which is mainly a lot of New Yorkers and also many people from all over the world, related to a story which is so remote from them.”
Within the first two seconds of the show, I jotted down the note, “Wes Anderson vibes.” A moment later, my sister-in-law, who accompanied me to the performance, leaned over and whispered, “It has Wes Anderson vibes!” We were both immediately struck by the stylization of the play, from the first moment when captions appear on a scrim and David Yazbek’s music, which Gabay describes as “Arabic, mediterranean music mixed with American jazz,” begins. The choreography, done by Patrick McCollum, is elegantly understated, harmonizing with the live instrumental performances of the collective character called “The Band.”
The Band’s post-curtain call performance, “The Concert,” is like an exclamation point at the end of the show. Seeing these musicians rocking out on clarinet and handheld drums is yet another aspect of this musical that sets it apart from anything I’ve ever seen onstage.
From the overture to the incredibly moving penultimate number, “Answer Me,” The Band’s Visit was a delight. Gabay beautifully describes the effect the show has on people as having “a hypnotic influence … which penetrates slowly like drops, you know, of water, into the heart of the audience. It doesn’t promise anything it doesn’t fulfill.”
The Band’s Visit runs through Sunday, April 17th, at The Orpheum Theatre. Visit orpheum-memphis.comfor tickets or for more information.
The company of The Band’s Visit North American Tour. (Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade)
With the success of musicals like Hamilton, it may not seem unusual that the Orpheum Theatre will premiere an important slice of Memphis African-American history this Friday and Saturday, focused on a turn-of-the-century music and dance craze that rose from the streets to take the world by storm. The star of the show is a dancer who is still making that history: Memphis’ own Lil Buck.
By now, most locals have heard of Lil Buck, aka Charles Riley, as he’s rightfully become a global ambassador of sorts for the style of dance originally known as “gangsta walking,” “choppin’,” or “buckin’,” now known over the world as “Memphis jookin’.” As he says now, “Ever since I first saw Memphis jookin’, I’ve always been intrigued by it, and I always had such a deep love and passion for it. Because it helped me find who I am as a person, through the dance and through the movement.”
Even as he’s famously combined jookin’ with elements of ballet and other styles, the original approach to dance he learned growing up here remains at the heart of his practice. And with this week’s premiere of Memphis Jookin’: The Show, he wants to let the world know that jookin’ is about more than just him. “It’s a show about the culture in general, Memphis dance and Memphis music. This show was inspired by a lot of the pivotal people that helped elevate Memphis jookin’ to the place that it is now. People who came before us. What we like to call the OGs. From DJs to OG dancers to people who were recording music at the time, who were very pivotal to us. You see the whole development through our lens.”
Speaking before leading the show’s cast through rehearsals at the Collage Dance Center, Riley uses one word again and again: community. “A show like this has always been on my mind, and something I wanted to do for the community,” he says. “We’re paying homage. There were a lot of OGs before who didn’t have these kinds of opportunities and had to handle things in a different way in their era, who grew up in an era when Memphis was really rough to live in. We want to give a glimpse of what they had to go through. It’s really storytelling through movement. So you can understand what it feels like to grow up in Memphis as a street dancer.”
For Riley, the local dance community is a living, breathing thing; the entire cast of about a dozen dancers is from Memphis. “I love being able to provide an opportunity like this for other jookers to gain some professional experience as dancers, doing what they’ve grown up doing. In Memphis, we have almost no platforms for Memphis street culture to be able to really shine.” Yet soon, the dancers will shine from coast to coast, as the ensemble prepares to take the show on the road starting February 25th.
“It’s definitely a story, a through line from beginning to end, with dialogue. It’s a Broadway-style show,” says Riley. “It features original instrumental music by the Mulherin brothers. Being from Memphis, they understand Memphis music on all levels. They’ve been studying tracks by DJ Squeeky, DJ Spanish Fly, and others.”
The show was co-created with some theatrical heavy hitters. “The idea came from myself and the co-producers of this show, CAMI Music group and Young Jai. Young Jai played a big role in capturing Memphis jookin’ on camera early on. He’s always been around as part of the community. And we have these amazing writers, Malcolm Barrett and Ameenah Kaplan. Ameenah is the director of The Lion King tour, and she suggested Amy Campion, the director of our show.”
For his part, Riley is excited to bring raw street culture to the stage. “It’s one thing to watch it being performed to classical music, but it’s another thing to see it performed to the music it was actually born from. That Memphis underground rap music. That grit. That’s where it came from. I want people to get a dose of that and be able to say, ‘Wow, this is incredible.’”
Austin Scott and Carvens Lissaint (Credit: Joan Marcus)
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by Providence impoverished in squalor grow up to be a hero and a scholar? You know who we’re talking about — everyone’s favorite $10-bill founding father — Alexander Hamilton. And he’s coming to Memphis.
Yes, that’s right: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is coming to the Orpheum Theatre for 16 performances, December 21st through January 2nd. If you haven’t been able to snatch up some highly coveted tickets, producer Jeffrey Seller and the Orpheum have announced a digital #HAM4HAM lottery for 40 $10-tickets for each performance. The first lottery has opened for the performances December 21st-26th, and it will close at noon on Thursday, December 16th. Subsequent digital lotteries will begin on each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances.
To enter, download the official Hamilton app (available for all iOS and Android devices). Once in the app, find the lottery icon, scroll to “Memphis,” choose your choice performance day(s)/time(s), and sign up with your email address. Easy-peasy. Only one entry per person, and repeat entries and disposable email addresses will be discarded.
Winners will receive email and mobile push notifications between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. every Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances. Winners will have two hours to claim and pay for their ticket(s). Up to two tickets can be purchased, and tickets are non-transferable.
For more information on the lottery or to purchase tickets, visit orpheum-memphis.com. Check the official Hamilton channels and orpheum-memphis.com for late release seats which may become available at short notice.
Vincent Astor and Tony Thomas will soon be reunited with an old friend, the Orpheum’s Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ. The instrument has returned from Chicago for the Orpheum’s 92nd birthday, and you can be one of the first to hear this powerful pipe organ at a free homecoming celebration.
“I’ve been playing this Wurlitzer off and on since 1970,” says Astor, who will open the show. “I plan to demonstrate mechanical parts of the instrument that may not be familiar to listeners, like the marimba, xylophone, and glockenspiel.”
Orpheum Theatre
What’d I say? The Wurlitzer returns!
In fact, nearly 10,000 theater organs were built by about three dozen companies between 1910 and 1940. Only a few hundred still exist today and only 38 remain in any semblance of original condition. The Orpheum in Memphis has one of them.
In addition to Astor’s masterful talent that will show off the organ’s unique sounds, Thomas will play silent film scores that should delight fans of nostalgia. Only fitting as the organs were very popular in theaters during the days of silent movies. Rumor has it that the Orpheum plans to return the Wurlitzer to this original purpose during upcoming film offerings.
While you enjoy the plethora of almighty orchestral sounds from the singular instrument, Astor asks you to remember one thing: “There. Period. Are. Period. No. Period. Speakers. Period. It’s a pipe organ.”
Mighty Wurlitzer Homecoming, The Orpheum, 203 S. Main, Thursday, Nov. 19, 7-9 p.m., free.
Orpheum Theatre