The past is not through with us

Arden Theatre Company presents Michael Hollinger’s Holy Grail of Memphis

In
3 minute read
The three actors sit around a small table in a music studio full of amps, framed photos, and guitar. They talk, smiling.
From left: Matteo Scammell, Newton Buchanan, and Kishia Nixon in the Arden’s ‘Holy Grail of Memphis.’ (Photo by Ashley Smith of Wide Eyed Studios.)

Michael Hollinger’s new one-act, now getting its world premiere at the Arden (extended through Sunday, March 2, 2025), comes in behind a recent spate of local productions untangling the knotty, ugly history of cultural appropriation and racism in America, like InterAct’s Stepmom, Stepmom, Stepmom and Curio’s Thanksgiving Play. It’s also the one that feels the most like a well-meaning white man (like me) wrote it—because he did.

According to Hollinger’s playbill note about Memphis, he created fictional musician Alfred “Deaf Duck” Mason when he read about the 2022 discovery of previously lost George Jones recordings (though Mason also resembles real-life blues artists Lead Belly and Howlin’ Wolf). The overstuffed play tries to fit a conversation about race, appropriation, and exploitation in with lots of banter and strong sight gags, and it only sometimes succeeds. But the ending, thanks to director Terrence J. Nolen’s staging, is still emotionally moving and drives the story towards Hollinger’s real conclusion: the past is always with us, even when we’re not aware of its presence.

The Stovers’ studio dreams

Whenever he gets a chance, Newton “Newt” Stover II (Matteo Scammell) proudly shows off his restoration of the once run-down Memphis music studio owned by his grandfather, Newton Stover I. See, Elvis Presley came in to record a song for his mother … then he learned Sun Records was a few blocks away, and he went there instead. Newt’s grandfather recorded tons of Black blues and R&B artists (and apparently exploited them to some extent, like fellow white producers Leonard Chess and Sam Philips), most notably legendary Deaf blues player “Deaf Duck” Mason. He cut only one album with Stover before dying of a heart attack, and his recordings were lost.

However, Newt, his long-suffering unpaid intern, Lee Hara (Erin Malimban), and his old friend, ethnomusicologist Derek Benoit (Newton Buchanan), believe they’ve found Mason’s tapes in an old file cabinet. Desperate to pay off his bank loan and turn the studio into a museum, Newt has set up a huge press event outside the studio for people to hear the music for the first time ever. But there are several hiccups in his scheme, including the tapes possibly being too damaged to play, and Mason’s great-granddaughter, Gigi (Kishia Nixon), arriving in Memphis, intent on protecting his recordings. Oh, and the ghost of Mason himself (Fred Michael Beam) is wandering the studio.

In a corner of a music studio, Beam smiles and plays a guitar. He wears a hat and a sweater with brown collar and sleeves.
Fred Michael Beam as Alfred “Deaf Duck” Mason in the Arden’s ‘Holy Grail of Memphis.’ (Photo by Ashley Smith of Wide Eyed Studios.)

Lots to say

Clearly, Hollinger has a lot he’s trying to say here about how Black musicians were treated badly by the music industry, as well as the sins of the past revisiting the present. Newt isn’t a bad guy, and he’s sincere in his love of the blues. But he’s also exploiting Mason’s music and using the people of color around him just like his grandfather did, even if he doesn’t immediately see it that way. There’s also the question of whether Gigi ultimately can protect her great-grandfather’s recordings if his music belongs to everyone.

However, these themes and characters don’t get the space they need in only 90 minutes, especially when Hollinger indulges in zippy, Sorkin-esque dialogue over character development. Newton Stover I’s exploitation of the artists he recorded needs to be more fleshed out, as does Newt’s own arc. The character of Gigi sometimes comes across as a strong Black woman stereotype rather than a real person, even if Nixon is always a reliable, emotional stage player.

A satisfying resolution

Still, the characters and their conflict get a smart, satisfying resolution that pays off the ideas here about ownership and art, and I loved the show’s final image. Credit is also due to Beam as “Deaf Duck” Mason, whose amazing performance plays out in ASL as well as sometimes-silent yearning, contempt, and joy. If he doesn’t get a Barrymore nomination, there’s something wrong with their ballot process.

What, When, Where

Holy Grail of Memphis. By Michael Hollinger, directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through March 2, 2025, at the Arden’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia. (215) 922-1122 or ardentheatre.org.

Accessibility

The Arden is a wheelchair-accessible venue and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local statutes and laws to ensure accessibility to patrons with disabilities. Visit the Arden’s accessibility page for more info.

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