► Memphis | A

It is hard to find a Broadway show that is not a tacky remake of a Disney movie or TV show. Elf? The Addams Family Musical? Seriously? Compared to the plethora of crowd-commercializing plays, Memphis, the Tony Award-winning rock and roll musical, is a joyous breath of fresh air.

Memphis is set in the '50s — a time when teens across America had their ears glued to their radios instead of their iPods. It was also a time when America was "separate but equal," when whites and blacks had separate water fountains, schools and radio stations. "Hockadoo-ing" Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball), a poor white boy, wanders into an African-American music club, seduced by the voice of Felicia Farrell (Montego Glover). In "Music of My Soul," he flirts with Felicia and promises to get her on the radio. He lands a job as a disc jockey at a white radio station. Much to the surprise of his boss, Mr. Simmons, he becomes the most popular disc jockey on the radio dial by playing "colored" music. As his ratings soar and the forbidden love between Huey and Felicia grows, Memphis shows how music can narrow the gap between races.

The show really belongs to Glover. She has a voice that can croon smoother than honey, as in "Someday," or rumble like a thunder in "Colored Woman." As Felicia, she is a beautiful and brassy heroine with lots of moxie. However, she burns so brightly that some of the other characters, like Gator the mute bartender (Derrick Baskin) and Bobby the jive-hopping janitor (James Monroe Iglehart), are left in the dark. Between the singing and the dancing, Memphis has enough wattage to power the New York skyline. Trujillo's high-octane, fast-paced dances have plenty of jump, glide and sizzle.

In terms of plot, Memphis falls prey to several clichés (think Dreamgirls meets Romeo and Juliet). However, the historical richness and moving performances make up for its lack of originality. The portrayal of racial discord in the '50s is a powerful undercurrent in the play. The humor that arises from the tension in the first act changes to violence, and then to the shaky beginnings of acceptance by the end of the play.

Although they sometimes trivialize a serious issue with its happy-musical attitude, period pieces, like Memphis, are eye-opening because they remind us how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. Flaws and all, the spectacular vocalists, upbeat dancing and live rock-and-roll orchestra crank up the volume on life and leave audiences feeling alive.