We are in Memphis in the 1950s: a rhythm and blues nightclub on Beale Street, where soul queen Beverley Knight’s Felicia fills the space with her presence. Her voice has a hint of Aretha Franklin’s raw beauty – Franklin was, after all, a Memphis girl. Into this all-black club, a white boy pitches up: Killian Donnelly’s winning Huey, whose eccentricity leads him to ignore his hostile reception (it is the time of segregation) and, later, brush bigotry aside to become a DJ promoting R&B. As Felicia’s wannabe lover, he expresses his feelings in a voice strangely like Elton John’s. Meanwhile, Felicia’s watchdog brother (an impressive Rolan Bell) polices the romance.
Felicia’s message is that “rock’n’roll is just black people’s blues sped up”. Joe DiPietro’s book urges us to believe music breaks down barriers – racial, social, you name it. So far, so hackneyed, yet a fresh, exuberantly talented cast make us temporarily accept this as news. The dancing (choreographer Sergio Trujillo) is audaciously good, and David Bryan’s songs – a mix of R&B, period rock and gospel – have sentimental verve.
The show is proficiently directed by Christopher Ashley (Tony-nominated for his 2010 Broadway version; Bryan and DiPietro won a Tony jointly) and design is by David Gallo – true to its period, the set inclines to the drab. But this love song to Memphis more than gets itself across.
