Every Thursday this summer various Broadway shows will be participating in a series of concerts at Bryant Park. This week one of the shows participating is none other than my personal favorite: Memphis. I have mentioned this show in the past and highly recommend going to see it. Now is a great chance to get a sample of what you would be getting for the price of your admission. The concert series is free and features a wide selection of the current shows running on Broadway. This week is Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Memphis, South Pacific, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (I guess it will be a little bit of Christmas in July). For future performance, the complete schedule has been linked to above.
Tag: memphis
2010 Tony Awards
The Tony Awards have just wrapped up, and there is a ton of excitement here at camp News on Shuffle. If you missed all the live-tweeting we did, then you also missed our intense excitement for Memphis winning Best Musical (!!!). I have blogged about Memphis before and how much I love the show. I truly believe with all my heart that they deserve this win and am extremely proud of them. I wish them continued success in the future and that many, many more people will get to experience first-hand just how special a show it truly is.
There were plenty of other deserving shows that were nominated for awards tonight as well. Here is a list of all the winners:
Best Play – Red
Best Musical – Memphis
Best Book of a Musical – Joe DiPietro (Memphis)
Best Original Score – Music: David Bryan, Lyrics: Joe DiPietro & David Bryan (Memphis)
Best Revival of a Play – Fences
Best Revival of a Musical – La Cage aux Folles
Best Leading Actor in a Play – Denzel Washington (Fences)
Best Leading Actress in a Play – Viola Davis (Fences)
Best Leading Actor in a Musical – Douglas Hodge (La Cage aux Folles)
Best Leading Actress in a Musical – Catherine Zeta-Jones (A Little Night Music)
Best Featured Actor in a Play – Eddie Redmayne (Red)
Best Featured Actress in a Play – Scarlett Johansson (A View from the Bridge)
Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Levi Kreis (Million Dollar Quartet)
Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises)
Best Direction of a Play – Michael Grandage (Red)
Best Direction of a Musical – Terry Johnson (La Cage aux Folles)
Best Choreography – Bill T. Jones (Fela!)
Best Orchestrations – Daryl Waters & David Bryan (Memphis)
Best Scenic Design of a Play – Christopher Oram (Red)
Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Christine Jones (American Idiot)
Best Costume Design of a Play – Catherine Zuber (The Royal Family)
Best Costume Design of a Musical – Marina Draghici (Fela!)
Best Lighting Design of a Play – Neil Austin (Red)
Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Kevin Adams (American Idiot)
Best Sound Design of a Play – Adam Cork (Red)
Best Sound Design of a Musical – Robert Kaplowitz (Fela!)
Congrats to all of tonight’s winners and nominees. For all the nominees in each category, click on the title link above. And please, do yourself a favor… go see at least one of these shows. Theatre is a wonderful thing, but only if it is shared with the rest of the world. Otherwise it’s just a bunch of people messing around on a stage.
Tony Nominations Announced
Tony Nominations came out this week, and boy were they exciting for this blogger. First of all, MEMPHIS GOT 8 NOMINATIONS. Words cannot describe how proud I am of them. I have already mentioned everything I love about Memphis in a previous post (or two), so I will not repeat myself here. If you didn’t want to take my word for it though, this is the perfect motivation to go see this fantastical show (before it wins the Tony for Best Musical *knocks on wood* and the lines become insanely long like they did for Spring Awakening).
In other news: If you looked at the previous post I linked to before, you will so that I totally predicted American Idiot and Memphis competing for Best Musical. I am less sure about AI’s chances now that the rest of the nominations have been announced. AI only has 3 total (including the one for Best Musical) which makes me think it is less likely to win. It is going up against shows with nominations in many more categories (which means they probably are viewed as stronger overall).
Are you excited about the nominations this year? Were there any shows that you feel were left out? As always, comments are both welcome and encouraged. I look forward to your discussion.
Anticipating Tony
Tony nominations aren’t going to be announced until May, but there is already some talk as to which musicals might be nominated. Assuming they both get nominated, I personally think who wins is going to come down to one of two: American Idiot or Memphis. While American Idiot is only in previews now, it already has a lot of interest from the general public. On the other hand, Memphis not only has quite a following already, it is also a superb show with very strong elements to it. I cannot tell you which I think deserves the win until I see American Idiot for myself. I know the album it is based off of is one of my favorites by Green Day (or the rock genre for that matter) and that it has the potential to be something special. Whether that potential translates on stage and connects with audiences is yet to be determined.
Memphis Sings the Music of My Soul
I already wrote a review of Memphis when it was in previews, so instead consider this a spotlight on one of it’s cast members: Bryan Fenkart.
Bryan is part of the ensemble and understudy to the lead (usually played by Chad Kimball). Last night, Bryan played the lead part for both performances. I was in attendance at the evening show. Everyone in the cast did a fantastic job, no question about it. Montego Glover has a stunning wardrobe and an evening more stunning voice to match. Chad Kimball plays the part of Huey with an energy that grabs you from minute one. And Bryan? He’s usually in the ensemble, most likely only noticed by those who are looking for him. That is, until he gets the chance to be a star. Then everyone notices.
It’s always different when you know the performer. You want to be objective, but recognize that is almost impossible. So when everyone else in the theater is talking, it tells you that you were right about this one. He really is something special. Bryan did a splendid job taking on the lead last night, pushing the bar higher than ever before. His performance was fantastical. Afterwards, people waited by the stage door for pictures and autographs as if he was a star. Which he was, at least for that night. And I predict his star will keep rising a bit higher yet.
Memphis (and the music) Lives in Me
Memphis is in New York now, on Broadway to be exact. This is the next great musical to hit the stage this season. It stars an outstanding cast of both old pros and rising stars. These talented performers sing and dance in a magical way, and take you to a time and place where life wasn’t easy but the music sure was smooth. It is fascinating to see how one person uses the power of music to break down barriers in a way no one thought possible. All he wants to do is make the music he loves accessible to everyone, but it becomes much more than that. It’s something you should see for yourself. The show is currently in previews with opening night scheduled for Monday, October 19th. So grab a friend and take them down to Memphis for a night of music and thrills they won’t soon forget.