A touring production of the four-time Tony award winner "Memphis" is coming to the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus for one night only.

Bob Cerchio, assistant director of the River Campus, helped bring the Broadway musical to Southeast. Cerchio saw the musical during the Broadway production in New York, which he said "exploded off the stage."

"The lights go down, and the performance just explodes," Cerchio said. "When you listen to music through headphones, you're not hearing the full range of the music. When you come to a performance like this, you not only hear the music, you feel it."

Now produced by Prather Entertainment Group, "Memphis" began touring for the company on Jan. 30. In business for more than 45 years, Prather has also produced hit musicals such as "Cats," "Mary Poppins" and "Footloose."

Getting entertainment agencies like Prather to bring "Memphis" to Southeast is no more than building relationships, reading about shows and inviting the agencies and their productions to the theater, according to Cerchio.

"You open your front door and you say, 'Hey, we have a theater, we want shows!' and all of a sudden you're inundated," Cerchio said. "You just develop a knowledge of what is out there."

Written by David Bryan, keyboard player for the rock band Bon Jovi, "Memphis" was first performed in 2003.

The show is centered on rock 'n' roll, and Memphis, Tennessee, is considered the birthplace of the genre, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The show's storyline, inspired by true events, tells of a love story between a radio disc jockey and a black singer, who each want to make an impact on the world.

As the two become romantic with one another, they each find themselves struggling with separation and fame, in likeness to the theme of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

"The story is heart-touching, and is very beautiful," Cerchio said. "It is surrounded by one fantastic music number after another, it's really quite amazing."

Cerchio noted that audiences should be familiar with the music that the performance includes.

"The audience has heard a lot of the songs before, so it will bring back memories for them," Cerchio said. "They should leave humming the songs."

Although the musical's theme revolves around music, the show includes full-production songs that incorporate acting and dancing as well as singing.

"There are huge full-production numbers with the whole cast coming at you," Cerchio said. "You'll find yourself being pushed back in your seat not only because of the sound, but the presence of the show."

Ellen Farrow, box office manager at the River Campus, has worked many of the performances that come to the Bedell, such as "West Side Story."

She said that she has always enjoyed working the performances at the River Campus.

"I've always loved theater as a whole," Farrow said. "Working here has fit the niche per se."

"Memphis" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on March 31 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall. Tickets are $43 to $49 but are half-price for Southeast students.

Tickets can be purchased at the River Campus Box Office, open 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, online at www.RiverCampusEvents.com or by calling (573) 651-2265.