Show guide
Memphis
Memphis is a 2009 Broadway musical about a white radio DJ and a Black singer navigating segregated 1950s Memphis and the birth of rock and roll.
- Broadway premiere
- 2009
- Music by
- David Bryan
- Genre
- Rock/Pop
- Setting
- 1950s
Memphis: quick answers
What is Memphis about?
- Memphis follows Huey Calhoun, a white Memphis DJ who champions Black rhythm and blues on the radio in the 1950s, and his dangerous romance with Felicia Farrell, a Black singer whose brother Delray runs an underground club.
When did Memphis open on Broadway?
- Memphis opened on Broadway on October 19, 2009, at the Shubert Theatre and ran until August 5, 2012, playing 1,165 regular performances. It won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
What kind of musical is Memphis?
- Memphis is an original book musical, not a jukebox show: David Bryan wrote the music, Bryan and Joe DiPietro wrote the lyrics, and DiPietro wrote the book. Its story is fictional, loosely based on DJ Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play Black music in the 1950s.
Where and when is Memphis set?
- Memphis is set in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1950s, moving between Delray's underground Black rock and roll club, Huey's radio and television studios, and the segregated white city around them.
Has Memphis played in London's West End?
- Memphis opened in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 23, 2014, with Beverley Knight as Felicia and Killian Donnelly as Huey, and closed on October 31, 2015. It won Olivier Awards for choreography and sound design.
The story of Memphis
Set in Memphis, Tennessee in the early 1950s, the show follows Huey Calhoun, a white record store clerk turned radio DJ who falls in love with rock and roll music and with Felicia Farrell, a Black singer he hears performing in a club on Beale Street. As Huey pushes to get this new sound on the radio, he and Felicia fall in love in a city where their relationship is dangerous.
Felicia's protective brother Delray runs the club where she performs, and their world collides with Huey's when his mother and the wider white establishment resist the music and the romance alike. The show uses its fictional characters, inspired loosely by real early rock and roll radio pioneers, to explore segregation, ambition, and the cost of crossing racial lines in that era.
The music and the makers
The music was written by David Bryan, the keyboardist for the rock band Bon Jovi, with lyrics by Bryan and Joe DiPietro, who also wrote the show's book. The score blends 1950s rhythm and blues, doo wop, and early rock and roll with modern Broadway songwriting, giving it an energetic, period flavored sound.
Signature numbers include Huey's radio anthem Memphis Lives in Me and Felicia's showcase Colored Woman, alongside big ensemble numbers built around the fictional dance show at the heart of the story. That fusion of vintage rock and roll energy with contemporary musical theatre construction gives Memphis its distinctive drive.
Memphis on Broadway
Memphis opened on Broadway on October 19, 2009 at the Shubert Theatre, starring Chad Kimball as Huey Calhoun and Montego Glover as Felicia Farrell, both of whom earned Tony Award nominations for their performances. The production went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2010, along with awards for its book and score.
The show ran for nearly three years, closing in August 2012 after more than one thousand performances, and it has since become a popular choice for regional and touring productions. Its success helped establish Memphis as one of the notable original Broadway musicals of its decade, built around a wholly new story rather than an adaptation of existing material.
Memphis: frequently asked questions
When did Memphis open on Broadway?
Memphis opened on Broadway on October 19, 2009, at the Shubert Theatre.
Who composed Memphis?
David Bryan wrote the music, with lyrics by Bryan and Joe DiPietro, who also wrote the book.
What is Memphis about?
It follows a white radio DJ and a Black singer who fall in love while helping introduce rock and roll to segregated 1950s Memphis.
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