The 2010 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Memphis will play its final performance at the Shubert Theatre on August 5. Currently starring Adam Pascal and original leading lady Montego Glover, Memphis opened on October 19, 2009, and will have played 30 previews and 1,166 regular performances at the time of closing.
“The level of love and commitment exhibited by all the members of our company from La Jolla to Seattle to Broadway has been matched only by the enthusiasm of our magnificently ardent fans,” producer Sue Frost said in a statement. “For us, this kind of reciprocity represents the heart of live theatre.”
Directed by Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, Memphis features a score by Bon Jovi's David Bryan (music and lyrics) and Joe DiPietro (book and lyrics). The musical takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated ’50s, where a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun (Pascal) fell in love with everything he shouldn’t: rock and roll and an electrifying black singer (Glover).
In addition to Pascal and Glover, Memphis currently stars Derrick Baskin as Gator, J. Bernard Calloway as Delray, James Monroe Iglehart as Bobby, John Jellison as Mr. Simmons and Nancy Opel as Mama. Memphis won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book and Best Orchestrations.
Memphis launched a successful multi-city U. S. national tour on October 16, 2011 at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. A West End production of the show is in the works.