Memphis Ensemble member Eben Logan talks a bit about being in the touring production which is at The Warner Theatre for 3 nights only! For more information check out the official Memphis Touring Site to see when they are coming to your town.
Can you tell us a little bit about your character?
I play three different characters within the show, two women and one teenager. All of them contribute to the Huey/Felicia story in different ways. My favorite is the teen who is not-so-secretly in love with Huey and overjoyed to be next to him on his TV show, the Calvacade.
How did you go from Baltimore to being in a major Touring Production?
The news about auditions for the tour were circulating through the dressing room when I was doing Memphis at Tobys Dinner Theatre in Columbia, and I actually missed the initial audition process in NY because I had a 9-5 I couldn’t step away from to travel. Then I heard they were still searching for a few missing pieces. I sent in a audition video and the rest is history.
Memphis has a lot of great musical numbers, which one is your favorite and why?
Love Will Stand is my favorite song to sing because of the message of hope it conveys. I really believe every word in that song.
What is a typical day and week like for someone on a touring production like this?
In a word, hectic. We wake up to get on the bus for 6-8 hours with breaks here and there, and then we get to our hotel for the night to have a moment to relax before doing a show. We get back to the hotel at around 11pm to sleep and do it all again the next day. Every now and then we have a sit down where we are in one hotel for more than one night, but those are few and far between.
How do you prepare to take on a part like this?
It’s more mental preparation than anything, for me. It may not sound so hard but being on that bus for so long day after day and having a great attitude while you do it is not easy. We just have remember we’re all in the same situation together. Also, we have to remember to take care of our bodies. Switching states and climates, sleeping on the bus, being in close quarters with people getting sick, and having sometimes only an hour to prepare for a physically demanding show takes its toll on our bodies. We have to eat right, sleep, stretch, and medicate appropriately so we stay healthy.
What’s been your favorite part about this production?
I’m in love with this show and it’s story, so getting to tell it every night is very exciting for me. But I’ve also made special connections with people in this cast, so getting perform this show alongside them is my favorite.
If you can see one new play/musical on Broadway (and currently touring) which one would it be and why?
Maltida, because the kids elate me and are so talented they make me jealous I wasn’t like that at their age. Also, The Book of Mormon First Broadway National Tour because my baby brother, Melvin Brandon Logan, is in the cast of that production. Shameless plug.
Which Broadway do you lean – classical like Showboat, Porgy and Bess, etc. or more modern like Memphis or Finding Nederland?
There are gems on both sides. I lean more toward contemporary musicals. There is more variety as it relates to telling the stories in my opinion.
Why should we see Memphis?
This cast is stellar. The music is beautiful. More than that, it’s a really great story. You fall in love with Huey and Felicia and want them to succeed and to do it together. The reasons they are being torn apart highlight ideals regarding racial inequality that are very present today. It’s so important for the time, the issues of racial separation and disparities brought up within the show. You only have to really, really listen to what’s going on in Baltimore, and other places like it, to see that.