A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
3
August 13, 2015
C
ANTON
You've probably never heard
of him, but Dewey Phillips
changed the face of rock 'n' roll -
andAmerica.
He played rock 'n' roll before it
even had a name. He was the
first radio DJ to play Elvis
Presley. And in strictly-segregat-
ed 1950s Memphis, Phillips saw
no difference between black and
white.
Phillips serves as the inspira-
tion for Huey Calhoun, the cen-
tral character of the Tony Award-
winning musical “Memphis.”
And in the Croswell Opera
House's upcoming production of
that show, Huey is played by Dan
Clair of CantonTownship.
Clair first saw “Memphis”
when the first national tour came
through Detroit. “I fell in love
with the music and then with the
storyline itself,” he said.
Huey Calhoun starts out as an
aimless and uneducated white
boy - “who made it almost all the
way through to the ninth grade at
South Side High,” in his own
words - who's spent most of his
short life being fired from a
series off odds-and-ends jobs. But
Huey lovesmusic, andmore than
anything, he loves the rhythm
and blues he hears being played
in the nightclubs of Beale Street,
the heart of Memphis' black com-
munity.
In one such club, he falls in
lovewithFelicia Farrell, a talent-
ed young black singer. And that's
where the story of “Memphis”
really begins.
“It's a piece of iconic history
showing what music has done for
American society when it comes
to racial segregation, and the
impact that music has had,” Clair
said.
Huey Calhoun is eccentric,
quirky, and a bit of a loudmouth,
but he's also a character with
heart, and his passionmakes him
likeable.
“Even though he can be big
and obnoxious, there's always an
opportunity in the script to pull
him back to the love story or to
the things he's passionate about,”
Clair said.
Although “Memphis” is Clair's
first show at the Croswell, he will
be a familiar face for many fans
of the southeastMichigan theater
scene. His credits include Clyde
in Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's
“Bonnie and Clyde,” the title role
in Monroe Community Players'
“Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Claude
in “Hair” at St. Dunstan's
Theatre in Bloomfield Hills, and
Bobby Strong in “Urinetown”
with the Avon Players in
RochesterHills.
An engineer by trade, he also
owns a dance studio, Lighthouse
Dance Co. in Luna Pier, with his
wife, Delle.
“Memphis” at the Croswell
also features Toledo-born singer-
songwriter Tatiana Owens as
Felicia; Derrick Jordan of Toledo
as Felicia's brother, Delray; and
Lydia Schafer of Toledo as
Huey'smother, Gladys. The direc-
tor isDebCalabrese.
“Memphis” opens Aug. 14 and
runs for two weekends, with 8
p.m. shows Friday and Saturday
shows and 2:30 p.m. shows on
Sunday.
The Croswell is at 129 E.
Maumee St. indowntownAdrian.
Tickets range from$15 to $35 and
can be purchased online at
Croswell.org or by calling (517)
264-7469.
Entries for the 23rd Annual
Canton Fine Arts Exhibition will
only be accepted throughAug. 24.
The annual exhibit will take
place from Oct. 2 through 31 at
The Village Theater at Cherry
Hill. Michigan artists can enter
their work online at
-
tonvillagetheater.org. Interested
artists may also request an entry
form by calling (734) 394-5300 ext.
8.
All media is accepted for this
exhibition. Only digital image
files on CDs will be accepted for
review and no slides will be
accepted for consideration.
Paintings and hangings should
not exceed 5-feet wide or 6-feet
high, 40 pounds in weight and
must be properly and appropri-
ately framed and prepared for
hanging. Sculpture dimensions
must not exceed 5 feet by 5 feet
by 6 feet and can be no more
than 200 pounds in weight.
Original works of art must have
been completed in the last three
years. A non-refundable entry
fee of $15 for each submitted
piece is required.
This year the competition will
award $1,950 in cash prizes
including the $750 best of show
prize, a second place award of
$500, a third place prize of $300,
two $100 honorable mention
prizes and four merit awards of
$50 each.
Juried result notification will
bemailed to submitting artists by
Sept. 10.
This year, the juror will be
Nancy Coumoundouros, who
served as the Cultural Arts
Supervisor for Farmington Hills
and Farmington until her retire-
ment in 2014. In that role,
Coumoundouros created and
developed the Cultural Arts
Division, beginning with writing
the first Cultural Master Plan for
both cities.
A reception is planned for the
selected artists at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1
with a special program starting
at 7:30 p.m. The Village Theater
has exhibition hours throughout
the year (except for major holi-
days), from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Monday through Friday, by
appointment and during all pub-
lic performances.
The exhibition is free and
open to the public.
TheVillageTheater, located at
50400CherryHill Road, Canton.
For additional information
about the 23rd Annual Canton
Fine Arts Exhibition, visit
theater.org or
call (734) 394-5300.
Entries being accepted for annual art exhibit
It's a piece of iconic history
showing what music has done
for American society when it comes
to racial segregation, and the
impact that music has had.
Dan Clair
”
Canton resident stars at Croswell Theater
Dan Clair
2014 Best of Show -
"ManfriendofaKind" by Jan
Brown
