Benefit with Memphis cast on Monday
So, the run of Memphis, the hit musical at the La Jolla Playhouse is sold out. How sold out? When an injury forced the theater to cancel a single performance, they were unable to reschedule any ticketholders. Meaning, basically, that it’s a tough ticket to get. But if you can’t get in to see the raucous, tender musical about the early days of rock ‘n roll, you can still catch performances from some of the cast members, whose Broadway credits include Spamalot, Walk the Line, Wicked, Hairspray, Mary Poppins and plenty more, who are stepping up on Monday (their only day off) for a good cause.
From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. they’ll be belting out tunes in Room 157 of Galbraith Hall on the UCSD Campus. Tickets are $10, and all the proceeds go to the UCSD Department of Theater and Dance Graduate Acting Showcase for the ’09 class, several of whom have parts in Memphis. Galbraith Hall is just across Scholar’s Drive from the Playhouse–it isn’t in the Playhouse compound.
This could also serve as an introduction to UCSD’s theater department (disclosure: my wife teaches there) for the uninitiated. It’s worth noting that UCSD is the number three theater school in country, just after Yale School of Drama and NYU, and the work done there during the school year showcases some very talented artists. Several students will also be performing on Monday, along with the aforementioned Memphis cast members.
