When “The Notebook: The Musical” opens at the Orpheum Theatre Tuesday, Oct. 28, Memphis audiences will witness more than a love story. They will see the homecoming of a performer who has lived a story all her own. Sharon Catherine Brown, who stars as Older Allie in the touring production, is returning to the road for the first time in 26 years. Her last Memphis appearance was as Lucy in “Jekyll & Hyde.”
“I decided I was coming off the road to devote time to my family after that,” said Brown. “And now, all these years later, ‘The Notebook’ brought me back out. It’s my first tour in more than two decades, and I couldn’t think of a better city to come back to than Memphis.”
Brown’s life in show business began early, born and raised in Manhattan to two Broadway actors. Her father, Johnny Brown, best known as Bookman from the 70s TV show “Good Times,” and her mother, a seasoned performer, taught her that the entertainment world was equal parts artistry and business.
“My parents taught me it was a business first,” she said. “And that I’m not better than anyone else, and that you never walk on a set without greeting your crew; my father drilled that into me.”
Just like a family pizza business, for example, Brown credits her parents with keeping her grounded in their “family business,” but said she would be nowhere without her faith.
“I don’t take any glory away from God,” she said. “I pray for protection and for what’s meant for me. It took me a long time to actually pray and let God be God. That’s what’s kept me — my faith, my family, and knowing you can’t do it all alone.”
That humility and spiritual grounding have sustained her through decades in a challenging industry. “Life is difficult,” she said. “You need people who genuinely want to see you do well and who will also tell you when you’re wrong. I was lucky to have that in my mother, who’s still with me today.”
Brown said she was also blessed to have been immersed in a world that felt normal to her but later realized how magical it was that her home was filled with legendary artists like Miles Davis, Cicely Tyson and Sammy Davis Jr., her father’s mentor.
After years in television, film and on Broadway, Brown eventually stepped away from touring. But her artistry never stopped evolving. Since turning 50, she’s taken on some of the most demanding roles of her career, including “Romeo and Juliet” and “Days of Wine and Roses.”
“Everything I heard about roles drying up after 50 just hasn’t applied to me,” she said. “I’m so blessed. It’s been abundant.”
One such role is that of Older Allie in “The Notebook: The Musical.” Brown shares the role of Allie across generations, as three actresses portray the character’s youth, middle age, and later years. Though she admits she was once skeptical of multi-actor storytelling, the approach won her over.
“I’ve never been a fan of three different people playing one character, but this … this works beautifully,” she said. “The younger Allies and I studied each other’s mannerisms. It just clicked. And the Noahs did the same.”
Her collaboration with co-director and friend Michael Greif, with whom she’s worked for more than 20 years, has been especially meaningful.
“Michael knew this was my role before I did,” said Brown. “It’s the most challenging and different thing I’ve ever done, and he knew I could do it.”
The musical also carries quiet but powerful cultural significance. In this touring production, all three women portraying Allie are women of color.
“On Broadway, there were different combinations of race between the Allies and Noahs, and very sophisticated audiences were sometimes confused,” Brown said. “But this version, this cast, feels right. It’s consistent, it’s honest and it reflects the world we actually live in.”
Brown is passionate about real inclusion in theatre, not performative gestures. “You can black out your square on social media for a day, but what else are you doing?” she asked. “Who are you hiring? How many people in the writers’ room are of color? That’s how you create equality. You make the change by creating the paycheck.”
Giving a chance is important to Brown but so is giving her all in a performance. It’s the hallmark of her approach.
“When you leave the stage, people should think an ambulance is waiting because you’ve left it all on the stage,” Brown said. “I come full so I can leave empty, having given everything I have to the audience so they leave full.”
Her passion for her craft is matched by gratitude. “Everyone in this production has come to it with an open heart and a broken heart in some way,” she reflected. “That’s what makes ‘The Notebook’ special. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.”
Between performances, Brown is eager to reconnect with Memphis. So much so that she served as guest “Duck Master” at The Peabody Hotel Tuesday morning. “I’m as excited about that as anything on tour,” she said.
For Brown, the journey from her early days on Broadway to this moment in Memphis feels both full circle and brand new.
“I have what I always wanted, and it’s so cool to still be working,” said Brown.
“The Notebook: The Musical” will run October 28 through November 2 at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets and more information are available at https://www.orpheum-memphis.com/
