Memphis @ Proctors, 4/17/12

April 18, 2012 at 12:35 am by Michael Eck

by Michael Eck
SCHENECTADY – David Bryan is from New Jersey. Considering he came to fame as the leonine keyboardist with 80‘s hitmakers Bon Jovi, he’d better be. Joe DePietro hails from the Garden State as well, and perhaps that explains why the music in “Memphis” has so little to do with the actual sound of the River City in the 1950s.

DiPietro wrote the book for the show, now onstage at Proctors, and Bryan wrote the score, with both contributing lyrics.
The show’s lack of real R&B roots didn’t stop it from winning three 2010 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, so they must have done something right. And the production at Proctors does lots right, too, especially in the casting of Bryan Fenkart, Felicia Boswell and Quentin Earl Darrington.

MEMPHIS

• Performance reviewed: 8 p.m. Tuesday.
• Where: Proctors, 432 State Street, Schenectady
• Running time: 150 minutes; one intermission
• Continues: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Tickets: $20-$70
• Info: 346-6204; http://www/proctors.org

Michael Eck is a freelance writer from Albany and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.

Read Michael Eck's full opening night review:

http://blog.timesunion.com/localarts/memphis-proctors-41712/22780/