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Netflix Brings ‘Memphis: The Musical’ to Your Living Room

Netflix Brings ‘Memphis: The Musical’ to Your Living Room

‘Memphis’ took a tour through cinemas across the nation in April and now that high def recording will be streaming into the comfort of your living room via your favorite Netflix enabled device. The 131-minute recording of the January 18-21 performances hit the instant streaming service today though no word of a DVD release has been announced. The film of the Tony Award winning musical debuted in cinemas April 28 and was directed by Don Roy King, starring Tony nominees Chad Kimball and Montego Glover.

The timing of the release is interesting since the musical is still currently occupying the Broadway stage at the Shubert Theatre and is getting ready to embark on a nationwide tour starting in none other than Memphis and lasting through the summer of 2012. Will easy access high quality theatre beamed right into your home dampen ticket sales, or will it serve as a marketing vehicle to spur on greater interest from inquisitive newcomers?

Broadway producers have been more open of late to releasing screen versions that were once considered taboo. Just this year, ‘Memphis’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ debuted in cinemas through distributors Broadway Worldwide and NCM Fathom. ‘Rain: The Tribute to the Beatles’ also ran on PBS. In year’s past, film adaptations of ‘Rent,’ ‘Chicago’ and ‘Phantom of the Opera’ gave a solid uptick in Broadway box office sales upon their release, but that could have more to do with a curiosity to see how the film translated the original production.

‘Memphis’ is the story of a DJ who falls for a R&B singer in the 1950s. Their interracial love affair sparks heated tensions in the deep south. The musical opened on October 19, 2009 at the Shubert Theatre and has won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.

For a full listing of the upcoming ‘Memphis: The Musical’ tour, checkout their website.