Every so often, it’s the ’50s all over again. “Grease,” “Happy Days,” “M*A*S*H” — we never really let go of that decade.

This turns out to be a good thing for the H. Ric Luhrs Performings Art Center, which hosted the touring company of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical “MEMPHIS” on Thursday evening.
“MEMPHIS” is a somewhat fictionalized version of a real-life Memphis DJ named Dewey Phillips. Phillips was one of the earliest white DJs in the nation to play what at the time was labeled “race records” — music recorded by black artists.

At that time, white music was played on stations listened to by white people; black music on black stations; and there simply was no crossover allowed. Phillips broke the rules, at some career and personal risk, to make good music available to anyone who wanted to listen.

In the stage version, the Phillips character is named Huey Calhoun. Calhoun, played perfectly by native New Yorker and experienced National Tour actor Joey Elrose, breaks barriers on the radio and in person by bringing the black music he loves to a white audience.

Teenagers love it; their parents, the radio stations, and the public not so much.

His love interest (every good story has to have one) is a talented black singer named Felicia, portrayed by national/international tour actress Jasmin Richardson. Huey hears her sing in her brother’s club and he promises he will get her on the radio.

She, her brother, and the other club regulars cannot believe it will ever happen. Felicia really brings home the issue of race when she tells Huey that as a white man, he does not understand level of awareness blacks must keep in mind at all times in the American South in the ’50s. The audience can feel the pain of racism expressed by Richardson.

The difference between black-and-white music is captured perfectly in the opening moments.
A DJ from a white music station intros the white music of the era in a bland, boring and totally safe way; this is contrasted by the sheer exuberance of the black DJ announcing the next song on his station. This sets the tone as quickly and simply as nothing else could. They really are two very different worlds.

By sheer belief in himself and the “Music of My Soul,” Huey makes things happen, and ends up on TV as the “MEMPHIS” version of Dick Clark. Things happen for Felicia as well, leading the two of them to face the challenges and choices that their very different lives and opportunities put in their paths.

The other members of the cast are every bit as amazing and memorable as the two leads.
All of the major cast members connect with the audience so quickly and believably because the actors instantly show the depth and humanity of their characters. The cast’s powerful Broadway caliber singing and dancing, highlighted — literally — by flawless stage lighting gives the audience the opportunity to connect visually as well.

Considering the rigors of touring and potential monotony of performing the same show over and over, the entire cast demonstrated nothing but sheer joy and enthusiasm for the audience.
One fairly minor technical glitch after intermission demonstrated this professionalism. It was not only accepted calmly by the crowd; the resumption of the show, with a tongue-in-cheek reference seamlessly integrated into the dialogue, brought some of the loudest applause of the evening.

What is a musical without music? The live band is located on the stage in the back, partially hidden by screens and scrims and the clever lighting, but the talent is apparent. Their deep groove makes the music of this era work.

Live music paired with live vocals simply cannot be matched by a pre-recorded alternative.
Bringing this show to Luhrs during Black History month may have been a coincidence, but the timing really brings home the harm racism in the past, and sadly, even today, can do to people.
The point the musical “MEMPHIS” brings home is this – racism can be overcome by finding something we can all share in common.

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