David Bryan Article/Interview re. Memphis... Seattle PI

Found this in my Google Alerts this morning. I hope Memphis comes through my hometown at some point, I'd love to see it.


Montego Glover is in the spotlight as Felicia at Club Delray in "Memphis,"
which brings the early days of rock ’n’ roll to the 5th Avenue.


Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan is a driving force behind 'Memphis'

By GIANNI TRUZZI
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

The pairing of a rock music god and a mild theater librettist/lyricist may seem unlikely. But the partnership of Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan with off-Broadway success Joe DiPietro has been surprisingly comfortable.

"Memphis," their latest and largest collaboration, brings the early days of rock 'n' roll to the 5th Avenue Theatre, which begins previews on Tuesday. The co-production with San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse is inspired by the life of Dewey Phillips, a Memphis DJ who challenged the times by playing music by black artists along with white ones.

DiPietro is best-known for his satiric musical about romance, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." Patrons of Taproot Theatre saw his dramatic play, "Over the River and Through the Woods," performed there last spring.

After DiPietro completed the script for "Memphis" eight years ago, he had no idea who could create music that would be roof-raising authentic. "I knew some talented theater composers," he said, "but I wished that I knew a rocker."

He did, however, know a rock music agent, who passed the script around. DiPietro was surprised to soon find Bryan at the other end of his phone. "Rock stars don't call me every day," DiPietro said.

The script came to Bryan at the right time. "I'd wanted to find something to do outside of the band," which had taken a break but never broke up, Bryan said. "Jon (Bon Jovi) and I have been playing together since we were 16 -- that's now 30 years."


You can read the rest of the interview here