'Memphis' sizzles at Ruth Eckerd Hall

Review

The road tour of "Memphis," with spirited performances and sizzling dance numbers, didn't miss a beat on opening night Tuesday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.

The 2010 Tony winner for best musical is a lively crowd-pleaser that wraps rock, pop, gospel and rhythm-and-blues around a story of taboo love set in the racially segregated 1950s.

Though the score and lyrics by Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan and composer Joe DiPietro aren't memorable, the story and performances are right-on, with every featured singer rising to the challenge.

And the music fits the period, with a nod to Memphis recording studios Stax Records and Sun Records.

Included in this talented cast is Lakeland native Quentin Earl Darrington, a University of South Florida graduate who studied acting at Ruth Eckerd's Hoffman Institute. His homecoming included a standing ovation for the entire cast Tuesday night.

Darrington plays Delray, the owner of a black nightclub on Beale Street and the protective brother of blues singer Felicia Clover, played by Felicia Boswell.

America's struggle with racism is a backdrop for this story about wild and crazy radio disc jockey Huey Calhoun, who has an affair with Clover and dares to broadcast soulful music from Beale Street on a white-owned radio station.

The Calhoun character was inspired by legendary Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips, who helped usher rock 'n' roll music into the mainstream. At a time when singers such as Perry Como, Dean Martin and Patti Page dominated white radio, Phillips featured black artists, rockabilly, blues and early rock 'n' roll performers such as Elvis Presley on his radio show.

Actor Bryan Fenkart, who made his Broadway debut in "Memphis" as the lead understudy, plays Huey as a freewheeling and fun-loving goof.

He is a shoot-from-the-lip music lover with a passion for black music and a deeper passion for a black singer. Fenkart's Huey comes off as an uneducated country bumpkin who has risen above the blatant racism prevalent in the 1950s.

The real Phillips had a TV teen dance show at the same time Dick Clark started in Philadelphia. His career waned in the 1960s when Top 40 format replaced the over-the-top, ad-libbing disc jockey.

The fictionalized Calhoun is offered a shot at a national TV show if he'll only feature white dancers. His reaction changes the course of his life and love.

Boswell is re-creating her Broadway role on this national tour, but on opening night, understudy Crystal Joy won over the Ruth Eckerd audience with her strong, clear vocals and emotionally moving performance. She excelled on the soulful numbers "Underground," "Colored Woman" and "Make Me Stronger."

There are some surprises in this musical history lesson. The mock rock song "Scratch My Itch" has actor Kent Overshown as a Little Richard-type named Wailin' Joe. Julie Johnson as Huey's mother, Gladys, does a rousing gospel-styled "Change Don't Come Easy." And actor Will Mann, from the original Broadway production, shows some inspired dance moves during "Stand Up," the anti-racism anthem.

"Memphis" continues through Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall (where the main road leading to the theater temporarily has been renamed "Memphis Drive").