Review - Memphis the Musical

Last week I visited Memphis for the third time since it opened in October, and as if I hadn't recommended this show/dragged people along to this show enough, this time I persuaded my grandma to see it with me. I fell in love with Memphis the first time I saw it, and my second visit confirmed that love, but I can honestly say that this third visit has been the most enjoyable one so far!

If you're not familiar with the show, Memphis follows the story of a young wannabe DJ named Huey Calhoun, who is inspired by a nightclub singer named Felicia Farrell to become the first white DJ to play Rock and Roll on the radio. It's a touching and inspirational story based on true events, and will have you humming its soundtrack for days. A must see on London's West End! 

I was already extremely excited to be heading back to Memphis for the first time since January, but when I collected my tickets from the box office and saw a sign tacked to the wall telling me that Rachel John would be playing the role of Felicia (the role is normally played by Beverley Knight) I was ecstatic! As I've mentioned in my previous Memphis blog posts, I am desperate to see both alternates in the lead roles, and now I've fulfilled half of this task I've got time to see other shows before returning to Memphis again at the end of June. This is all very exciting for me, but probably not why you're reading this post, so lets move on to the show...

Honestly, Memphis just keeps getting better and better. The music is brilliant (but then, in a show which is partly to do with 'the birth of rock and roll' you'd expect nothing less!), the costumes are gorgeous (I love a good period piece and this show is full of glam 1950s dresses, each and every one of them I'd love to steal for my own wardrobe) and the cast is one of the most hard working, enthusiastic casts on the West End right now! 

On the subject of the cast, I was as impressed as I always am. It feels as if Killian Donnelly was born to play Huey Calhoun, the hapless radio DJ whose story Memphis follows. Supporting cast members Rolan Bell and Jason Pennycooke both gave solid performances too. Bell does a fantastic job of making Felicia's overwrought and sometimes downright scary brother Delray an endearing and relatable character, while Pennycooke injects piles of humour into Bobby, a janitor with hidden skills of the performing variety. I also warmed to Gladys, Huey's mom (played by Claire Machin) much more this time, and had the pleasure of seeing Waylon Jacobs play the role of Gator (the role is normally played by Tyrone Huntly). His breakout moment at the end of act 1 had me and my grandma sniffling well into the interval.

For me though, the biggest treat of the show was finally getting to see Rachel John as Felicia. Not only did she have a stunning voice and embellished Felicia's songs with her own twists, she also brought out a different side to Felicia, which I'd not seen in other portrayals. I felt that the chemistry between between Huey and Felicia developed naturally throughout the course of act 1, and John and Donnelly really savoured the tender scenes, making you root for their relationship to blossom despite the adversities they face. I also loved the way Rachel John's Felicia's confidence grew throughout the show. While Beverley Knight's Felicia radiates star quality from her entrance, Rachel John's Felicia seems slightly more reserved until she comes into her own after her standout solo 'Coloured Woman' (which brought the house down! A really affecting,empowering song, wonderfully sung and acted.). I absolutely loved following Felicia's journey and watching her struggle and grow, and this made every decision she made in act 2 particularly understandable.

I feel so fortunate to have seen Rachel John in the role, and I am definitely thinking of returning to see her in the role again (my goal is to catch a double alternate show, but the next time this is scheduled to happen is a week before I have tickets to see Memphis again anyway, so I'm not sure I can justify to cost to myself... hopefully I'll be able to work something out though. Ahh, the joys of not living in London!) 

If you haven't seen this show yet then what are you waiting for? Not only was it one of my top 5 shows of 2014, it has also been one of my favourite shows of this year as well, and my grandma absolutely adored it too! Even if you have seen it (lucky you!) I recommend a repeat visit. It looks like this cast is only getting better, and it truly has something for everyone. Sharp, impressive choreography, memorable music and some of the most truthful and awe inspiring performances you'll see ANYWHERE on the West End! 

Verdict - 5 stars

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome

Album Review - Memphis the Musical (Original London Cast)

I've been eagerly awaiting the Memphis OLC cast album for months now. Looking longingly at the February 9th tile on my calendar, waiting for the release date. So you can imagine my surprise when I logged on to twitter this morning and saw people tweeting about how it was available to listen to now! Of course I headed straight to Spotify and amazingly, I saw that it had indeed been released early!

Naturally, I've had it on repeat ever since, and though I did originally plan to review the album on its own, while listening I noticed a couple of very interesting differences between the OLC and OBC, so below is a track by track comparison of the two (focusing of course on the newer release!)

Track 1

Underground

The first noticeable thing about this song on the OLCR is the addition of Simon Ray-Harvey's DJ intro. Backing vocals are much richer and more pronounced than those heard on the OBCR. As Delray, Rolan Bell gives a standout performance, and I am loving his vocal embellishments, especially in the last third of the song. His voice has a really different sound than that of J Bernard Calloway (Delray on the OBCR). While the on OBCR this song sounds wholly fun and celebratory, here Bell's voice has a more regretful, contemplative, aware tone.

Track 2

The Music of My Soul

Donnelly's voice sounds much younger than that of the OBC Huey (Chad Kimball). I did notice that sometimes words are not enunciated as much as I would have liked but I guess it adds to the overall effect. The lack of vocal embellishments is also noticeable, given how prominent they are in the live performance, but there are an abundance of growls! The he most noticable difference however is that there is NO FELICIA! It's such a shame given that The Music of My Soul is such a poignant moment in the show, because it's where they bond as characters! Therefore I think that leaving Felicia out of this song is an unusual choice to say the least! Especially given that on the OBCR Montego Glover and Chad Kimball's voices blend together so well, making the song a highlight.

Track 3

Scratch My Itch

Waylon Jacobs gives a lovely vocal performance! This song often suffers during the show as it is so enthusiastic and accompanies such complicated choreography, so it's nice to be able to hear the performance here.

Track 4

Ain't Nothin' but a Kiss

Beverley really attacks the vocals in this song. She's a real star and this shows through the charisma that she gives Felicia. There's also a lovely piano solo, but backing is understated in this song. Sadly, much as I wish Huey's vocals would be included in the Broadway album, I feel much the same here!

Track 5

That's not Possible

This song doesn't exist on the OBCR, so it's nice to hear it here. It would have also been nice to have 'Hello, my name is Huey' recorded but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. I LOVE the fact that the lines at the beginning are included at for a casual listener it puts the song in context. Such lovely vocals from everyone and I like that ensemble members have a chance to shine here too! This is such a hilarious moment for Jason Pennycooke's Bobby in the show, and it's captured well here.

Track 6

Everybody Wants to be Black on a Saturday Night

This is a fun song to listen too, and there are tight, clean vocals.

Track 7

Make Me Stronger

I always thought this song was unusual on the OBCR because of the way the tempo is constantly changing around as the different characters sing. It feels like a compilation of several songs, which works well on stage but I feel is less effective on the cast album. Nevertheless this is a fun listen. The ensemble is very strong and Claire Machin gives a good performance as Gladys, but overall I prefer Cass Morgan's vocals. Beverley Knight shines towards the end.

Track 8

Coloured Woman

A favourite song of mine on the OBCR due to Montego glover's haunting vocals. Beverley Knight gives an equally memorable performance in this song, which comes at a pivotal moment in the show. Music-wise, the backing is nice until the drama increases, then it feels slightly lacking. The lines 'Mama told me not to dream big/but mama lived her life running scared', are so emotional and in the show the music really swells, but on the OLCR this is not the case. I still get the chills though as it's SUCH an amazing moment. I did notice that the tempo feels a bit slow? Perhaps this is partly down to the understated backing.

Track 9

Someday

I love how prominent the backing vocals are here. This is another really fun moment in the show. On the OBCR Montego Glover's voice is more playful and bubbly whereas Beverley Knight's Felicia is much more strict and less keen on Huey to begin with. She takes herself a lot more seriously and acts a lot older.

Track 10

She's my sister

Although this is sometimes referenced being a cheesy moment, I think it really tells audiences a lot about the characters of Delray and Huey and how different their lives are. I think this song definitely makes the antagonistic Delray much more likable. I adore the younger sound of Rolan Bell's voice, even though J Bernard Calloway's voice is more commanding.

Track 11

Radio

Killian Donnely's voice is also much younger sounding than it's OBCR counterpart. Noticeably, Donnelly's southern accent is not as pronounced here as it is when heard live.

I must say that I literally laughed out loud at the gratuitous 'Hockadoo'! I know it's his catchphrase so it makes sense to put it in the recording but... wow! Donnelly's Huey seems less out of control here than in the show. Chad's Huey sound's out of control from the get go!

Track 12

Say a prayer

So much happens between Radio and Say a Prayer that the contrast feels really jarring. This is brilliant, as the moment in the live show is a real sucker punch too.Tyrone Huntley gives a standout performance as Gator and sounds flawless in this song, so fresh and emotive. It's so emotional and the ensemble sounds amazing.

Track 13

Crazy Little Huey

I love the interaction between Huey and ensemble here. The song is again quite jarring coming just after Say a Prayer, but this makes it sound more in keeping with the show. Although I appreciate them elsewhere, the spoken parts seem unnecessary.

Track 14

Big Love

This is the first we really get to hear of Jason Pennycooke, playing the fan favourite character Bobby. His vocal performance is very different to James Munroe Iglehart, but both have wonderful emotive voices. I love the way the vocals build as the music does.

Track 15

Love will Stand

This super emotional song really complements Beverley Knight's lovely vocals. At this moment in the show, the cracks in Huey and Felicia's relationship are starting to show, so I love/hate Love Will Stand's irony. Female ensemble is so strong they sound angelic. I feel like this is a more raw version than the one on the OBCR.

Track 16

Stand up

This song makes me smile. Vocals blend better on the OLCR than on the OBCR (I've always thought that the line 'live the life that we deserve' sounds a bit odd anyway, but the cast makes it work). I like that this song showcases most of the main cast together. Of course Knight gives a brilliant performance in her solo.

Track 17

Change Don't Come Easy

In my personal opinion, this is the weakest song on the recording. Machin's vocals are definitely unique and the OBCR and OLCR versions do sound very different as a result, which is nice. I don't listen to this song much anyway and I don't think this is going to change that fact. (I do love Delray's 'prettify' though!)

Track 18

Tear Down The House

Honestly, I was distracted on the first listen by the prospect of Memphis Lives in Me coming next! On a second listen, I love how playful Donnelly's vocals are in this song! It gives you a really clear picture of his physical performance. There isn't really much to set this apart from the OBCR though.

Track 19

Memphis Lives in Me

From the moment he opens his mouth Donnelly nails this song. It's so heartbreaking you can't help but be moved to tears. The backing was perfect. The ensemble sound absolutely flawless. The iconic vocalisations in the middle section are stunning and the showstopping ending is absolutely breathtaking. Chad Kimball is the definitive Huey but Killian Donnelly really makes the song his own.

Track 20

Steal Your Rock and Roll

Again, the backing lacks the drama that the OBCR has. Vocals wise, it's lovely and the ensemble is really strong. (the 'na na na' bits are strange. There is a focus of 'NAA' rather that 'NAHH' which it strange. Not good or bad, just different.) Harmonies at the are are amazing.

Track 21

Memphis Lives in Me - David Bryan

This is exactly the same track found on the OBCR, so nothing new there.

And that's the last track!

I was hoping that Jon Robyns and Rachel John (The Huey and Felicia alternates) would get a solo on the cast album too (I mean, this isn't normally done, but I can dream right?) but sadly this is not the case. Such a shame, i'll just have to go and see them perform live!

Overall, I am blown away by the vocal performances given by every single member of the cast! I am so excited that this album was released early as I've been looking forward to it for months and months. In comparison, while both the OBCR and OLCR albums have their merits, I do still prefer the OBCR. For the foreseeable future though I will be listening to this album nonstop, and I would definitely recommend this!

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome