Memphis the Musical - 8 stars out of 10

Memphis the Musical - 8 stars out of 10

"Memphis" was pretty awesome!  There's no surprise that this musical won several Tony Awards and its unconventional story breaks away from the "every musical must have a happy ending with pixies and unicorns" stereotype.  In fact, it breaks a lot of Broadway stereotypes.  The southern drawl and slightly annoying disposition of Huey Calhoun is unlike any other leading man.  In most other shows, Huey would be a secondary character played by a character actor and would steal the show, but "Memphis" puts him at the center of the story.  And it works!  He does get a few awesome musical moments like Memphis Lives in Me, but nothing really compares to the singing of Montego Glover.  "Memphis presents the birth of rock 'n' roll at its finest.  The story, loosely based the life of one of the first white DJs to air black music, goes where you least expect it.  The racial side is presented in a more severe way than "Hairspray" and you will never predict the ending's strong statement that love does NOT conquer all.  Any show is better on-stage but this film version of "Memphis" is a great alternative if the show isn't coming to a stage near you.