Memphis at Temple Buell Theater

Hey UnilocalDenver,
THANKS for the free Orchestra tickets to Memphis. I didn’t do much (read: any) research on the musical before attending (I know, a super wild child right here) but I was so pleasantly surprised at how wonderful it was.
Great storyline, superb singing, and all kinds of heartwarming, comedic, and bittersweet.
Fabulous.

Memphis is definitely at the top of my list as far a favorite musicals.
The talent on stage was outrageously amazing. The story line was funny, romantic, sad, and everything in between. I didn’t recognize any song, but fell in love with each one as the night went on. Huey Calhoun was so great, at times his heavy accent was a little annoying but I know that was an integral part of the musical.
Huey’s Mom was a definite STAND OUT! Damn that woman can really blow and she surprised the entire audience when it happened. Perfection at that moment was had.
I highly recommend this musical to anyone, although not kid friendly.

Another Unilocal night at the theater? Um, yes, please! What, no tickets through Unilocal?Oh well, I have to buy them myself.
I enjoyed the show quite a bit as the performers were super talented singers and dancers and the story was a classic struggle for love through rough times sort of thing. I didn’t recognize any of the music although some of it was familiar. By the time I was looking for tickets the closest I could find was row TT. For those of you that don’t know, that’s way in the back on the main level. And, I found that I really like to see the show from about row 5 through row 15. I just wasn’t immersed in this show the way I have been when I sit closer.
Some people are saying best musical all year. I’m missing that. I loved the hard hitting power of American Idiot, the familiarity and comfort of the music from Jersey Boys and the sheer fun and craziness of La Cage Aux Folles.

I got wait listed, for the first time ever! I was totally fine with that, I do get to attend a lot of the DPAC events. I was surprised to receive the email that I was in, and very happy. I didn’t know anything about this musical but could guess at the idea. I thought it started out a bit slow but it really took off and never stopped. It was a fantastic story, and one that needs told over and over. I think people forget that not long ago America was segregated. Thankfully I never had to experience this but my parents did. The music was fantastic and so was the dancing and the sets. Once again, amazing seats to enjoy.
Thanks so much Unilocal and the DPAC for another wonderful evening I would have otherwise spent at home doing nothing!

Lately, I have become quite the theater-​goer. Jersey Boys (thanks Unilocal), Book of Mormon and Stomp were all steller performances. Memphis kept the steak alive.
Hockadoo! This musical was pretty «fantastical».
The female lead was incredible. Her acting skills were strong, but her voice was amazing.
I really enjoyed the story from beginning to end. A very soulful performance.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to see this show that I would have otherwise missed. I’ve told my family and friends about it and a few of them were able to procure tickets. I hope hey enjoy it as much as I did.

A rollicking good time! Cliché but I laughed, I cried, I clapped and I cheered — I wanted to dance but I have seen myself dancing on wedding videos and it is not pretty. The word that best describes this musical is powerful. The characters, the storyline, the music, the emotions — powerful… One of the best I have seen all year and I am grateful I had the opportunity to do so.
Another highlight of the evening was watching the show next to a woman and her mother — when we arrived in our seats the woman was letting her mother know she would be back during intermission — apparently her mother had to come out to Denver unexpectedly and she was unable to get another ticket to sit with her. Before we know it the gentleman next to her is getting up and insisting she take his seat. It was a simple act of kindness and a great example for his son who was also nearby. We sought the gentleman out later to tell him how touched we were by his kindness and he simply said it was the right thing to do and she reminded him of his own mother.
The bonus for my friend and I is we chatted with the woman and her mother during intermission and all enjoyed talking so much that we have planned on going to lunch to continue our conversation! Thank you Unilocal for a great musical and new friends!

Vibrant, electrifying and entertaining.
Yep, those are the words to describe Memphis!
Annnnnd I’m done.
Just kidding, there is so many things that I enjoyed about this musical:
*Naturally, I have to start with the cast. They had a cast of about 20 people I would say, if that. All were talented beyond belief from dance moves to voices. There was one character who hadn’t spoken since he was a little kid because he «had nothing worth saying» Then all of a sudden he breaks through and talks and starts belting out a beautiful tune. The only thing that bothered me as another Unilocaler mentioned, was Huey’s voice. Living in WV and NC I’m used to some twang but every now and then the actors real voice came out and it just confused and irked me a bit.
*The costumes and set design. The set was simple and was quick to roll out and make you believe you’re on Beall street in the early 50’s (so I imagine, I’m a 70’s baby). The costumes from the men’s slacks and dress shirts to the women’s intricately beaded dresses and skirts gave it an authentic feel.
*The seats? Hi, we were two rows from the stage. I could see the color nail polish the actress playing Felicia was wearing a (a soft, bubble gum pink if you must). I’ve never been that close to the stage before. At first I fear I would have what’s left of my ear drums blown out with the speakers being so near and the possibility of their sweat flinging onto to me was there as well. But nope, it was absolutely delightful.
*The storyline. This musical has it all ranging from race to love to staying true to yourself. One minute I would be rocking along to the music, the next I would have a tear in my eye from the believeable convictions portrayed by the characters. Every emotion came out in my throughout the musical.
Seriously, if you have a chance to check this musical out, please do so. I was a bit surprised to look up to the top section of seats and find it mostly empty on opening night. Three days later and I’m still singing «Someday»
Thank you Unilocal and Performing Arts Center for giving me yet another opportunity to get my culture on!

If I could give it six stars I would! The best musical all year!
Voices. amazing!
Sets… amazing!
But the thing that was surprising was the theatricality (I know it’s a term I learned from GLEE) The audience was completely drawn into the story line with audible reactions when something happy or sad happened to the characters. We loved them all!
Huey’s mama completely shocked me. in a good way! WOW what a set of pipes and great comedic timing.
WOW! I can see why it won the Tony last year.
Everyone should see MEMPHIS! Do it. do it now…

Fantastic. I really enjoyed this musical. The singing, the dancing, the setting, the costumes, the lighting and each and everyone of the performers.. I will admit I had tears rolling down my face mostly because of the story line. It was upsetting to me to see how mean individuals can be to one another. All because of color.
The lady sitting next to me who like me is a season ticket holder said when she was young and lived in North Denver told her friend how she wished she could go listen to this music but was not allowed to at the time. That was true jazz she said. She did go to many Jazz concerts in her time it sounded like. We both agreed this was one of the best shows we have seen in Denver.
If you get a chance to see it go. You will laugh, cry and get goosebumps. One terrific show with very talented people.

Quite the performance!
Loved the talent, the costumes, and the intensity! But, the music itself was odd. It was great, but there was no hook and each song was short and sweet. Normally upon exiting you are humming a tune, but not this time. However each musical number was great, I don’t understand it, but I like it. The cast was amazing, and I loved loved loved some of those costumes!
It was a great historic tribute that reminds us all about equality and progress. It shows that although we have come far, we still have a ways to go. I appreciate the recognition of cultural differences, too often today people pretend not to see color or claim that we are all the same. No we aren’t, but we are all on the same level. This show was a reminder that we need to recognize and appreciate our differences! Unfortunately the people on stage were not reflected in the crowd, it was a crowd with many people from the same older generation, ethnicity, and socio-​economic class. I hope other cities represent with a little more diversity.
The show made me laugh and tear up, the dancers and performers were all great and made the evening remarkable! I recommend kids of today see this show to learn a little bit and that those of us who did see it promote the heck out of it!

Simply fabulous!
I did not know anything about Memphis before attending… barely that it had won Tony awards and that all the songs were original scores.
The show captivated me from the start… an incredible story on a pwerful topic that makes you reflect, makes you sad, but also, has plenty of laughs.
The voices were simply incredible… I was in awe with the talent of many of the actors and the storyline, staging and overall performance completely blew my mind. With original scores, the songs were not familiar but it didn’t matter, as the voices and performance worked so well together… especially Felicia’s voice and performance… amazing!
Highly recommended

Fan-​freaking-​tastic! We both so enjoyed the show.
The show was great with lots of down and dirty blues and the female lead who has a powerhouse voice. I was amazed by all of the performers’ vocals last night. Memphis is set in the 1950s and has a classic tale of two characters from different walks of life (black/​white) in the segregated South with a white DJ and a black singer fall in love and deal with the racially segregated Memphis inhabitants.
I really enjoyed the story between Huey Calhoun and Felicia Farrell, especially the singing. I’d highly recommend this show to anyone. Go see it now!

A Bravo with a Well Done!
I honestly did not know what to expect from Memphis. But when I did sit through the musical there were many poignant scenes serving as reminders of the not so distant past regarding racial segregation and great inequality.
A storyline involving a white radio DJ falling in love with a rising black club singer doesn’t seem all that special right? Wrong. It isn’t until you actually watch the musical that a great story is wonderfully delivered.
The actors were very convincing, the two main characters definitely had chemistry, and the singing was amazing. From gospel to rock to everything in between, you’ll pleasantly be surprised and blown away by the vocals. At least I was. The first half of the musical definitely set the stage for great anticipation for the latter half.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll love Memphis. I did.

Hockadoo!
I surely do enjoy going to these events. I had heard good things about Memphis, but was not sure if it was completely my cup of tea. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I really liked it. It was a little strange for me to attend a musical where I didn’t actually know any of the songs. But, this really didn’t matter as the story was so compelling and the musical performances were outstanding. Huey Calhoun was very entertaining and likable, but as mentioned by Brittany, I found the accent distracting at times. Felicia Boswell (portraying Felicia Farrell) has an amazing voice and she really ties everything together. However, my jaw came close to dropping as Huey’s Mama belted out her songs with a voice to shake the rafters. Julie Johnson was incredible as a singer, and her comedic timing earlier in the production is not to be missed.

This play is full of energy and excitement. The female lead was incredible I can’t count how many times she made the hair on my back stand up.
I’ve seen this play on broadway and this performance was on par if not slightly better. Definitely worth coming to our amazing Buell theater and checking out.

Wow wow, what an amazing performance! The sets are absolutely amazing and those folk on the stage are so talented! You would not believe the voices some of them have, I believe that I’ve never seen such powerful singing. The set designs and their manipulation was impeccable and definitely exciting!
The music in the first half was impressive and the second half, as my companion put it, included the «bubblegum». The plot was not that original perhaps, but it will well executed and a captivating story to follow.

This musical was INCREDIBLE. I laughed, I cried. Literally. If there is one musical you’re going to see this year, this should be it. The storyline and acting were superb.
As a former theatre major, I was also wowed by the production values of the show — the set pieces were incredible, the costumes were spot-​on for the era, and the sound was impeccably executed.
There really isn’t much more to write — GO. SEE. THIS. SHOW.

Another night at the theatre? Um, yes, please!
After Stomp and Book of Mormom, it was nice to return to a «traditional» musical, one that explores so many of the tough issues in life: love and prejudice. Memphis takes place in segregated 1950s Memphis where star-​crossed lovers fall for each other and must decide if they are willing to do what it takes to break racial barriers.
Memphis is wonderful: power house songs spurned on by amazing voices, talented actors, and true to life situations. No wonder it won the 2010 Tony for Best Musical! This show really makes you think.
Why the four stars then? There was something about the male lead’s hokey accent that I just couldn’t get past; it rubbed me the wrong way throughout the show. I heard snippets of his «real» voice here and there and longed for him to drop the accent! But alas, the accent was part of the character. This of course is just a personal preference.
In any case, thank you Tiffany and Unilocal for another amazing night at the theatre! I’m continuously impressed with the fantastic seats and oft thought-​provoking shows.
Til next time, break a leg!

Wow, really loved this musical. It was well written and produced. We had a wonderful time. The sets were well done, set back in the 1950’s. All the characters were dressed in 50’s attire. This was the beginnings of rock and roll in our time. At times it was very joyful and the music was very uplifting to the point of feeling strong emotional ties to the characters. Loved the music and the message. It is even deeper than just show, it makes you think. That is what art and theater are all about. I would highly would recommend this musical to all including children. It has a great message. My favorite part was when Huey’s mom sang a song called «Change Don’t Come Easy.» What an emotional moment. Go see it! Loved it.

This production was absolutely amazing. This has to be my favorite since I started watching musicals at the Buell Theater four months ago. The set changes are smooth: i.e. room to tv set and radio station to night club. The range of emotions, music, costume changes and script all tie together to make a very complete musical. The music as well as the language was that of the 1950’s when music was music and not pumped through a music making factory. There are struggles, cheers, ohh’s and ahh’s from beginning to end. The formula works very well and wish the troupe all the best. I would go back and watch this again!