Outdoor musical to be staged
Hit musical coming Sept. 16 to Downtown Reading in the Courtyard, 6th and Penn streets
Genesius Theatre will host a free outdoor performance of “Memphis” in Downtown Reading on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.
After a totally sold-out run at Genesius Theatre this past August, Genesius is doing one performance of this hit musical which is free to the general public. That’s right, just bring a lawn chair or a blanket and sit back, relax and enjoy this wonderful musical outdoors.
“Get ready to jump and jive like a demon possessed, the devil’s in the music, the music is blessed,” as Genesius Theatre raises the roof (literally) with the hot, hot, hot Rhythm & Blues musical comedy, “Memphis” for a free outdoor performance in Downtown Reading on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. Courtyard opens at 1:30 p.m. Performance will be held in the Courtyard, behind the building at 6th and Penn - between Penn and Court streets and 6th Street and the Railroad tracks.
“Memphis” is being presented in cooperation with D.I.D. the Downtown Improvement District and the City of Reading. This is all made possible by a special grant from the Berks Arts Fund of Berks County Community Foundation.
The musical is presented with live 10-piece orchestra, full cast, and set pieces.
In case of inclement weather, thanks to a special arrangement with the Santander Performing Arts Center, the show will be moved to their 3rd floor ballroom. This decision is made at 10 a.m., please check the Genesius Facebook page or website for updates the morning of the event. The play is rated PG. Escape 2017 and travel back to the late 1950s, in Memphis, Tennessee. Set during the early days of rock and roll and the underground dance clubs, Memphis is an exhilarating tale of love and fame, filled with high-energy music and explosive dancing. Inspired by actual events, Memphis is about a Huey Calhoun, a white radio DJ, who wants to change the world by playing “race music” on a popular white radio station, and Felicia, a black club singer, who is ready for her big break in world that is totally closed up to African American’s in a “whitewashed” world. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves — filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock ‘n’ roll!
The humorous, yet poignant story, is craftily written by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and All Shook Up) and set to an original score by Bon Jovi’s David Bryan, that evokes the powerhouse funk of James Brown, the hot guitar riffs of Chuck Berry, the smooth harmonies of the Temptations, and the silken, bouncy pop of the era’s great girl groups.
For more information visit www.genesiusdifference.org; or email info@ genesiustheatre.org, or call the theater at 610-371-8151.