On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records' storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll," who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET features a treasure trove of the greatest rock 'n' roll, gospel, R&B and country hits from these music legends, including such iconic songs as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Fever," "Sixteen Tons," "Who Do You Love?," "Great Balls of Fire," "Riders in the Sky," "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On." MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET captures the infectious spirit, freewheeling excitement and thrilling sounds of a singular moment when four of the music industry's most extraordinary talents, all in their creative prime, came together for one of the most memorable nights in music history.
Folks are paying a lot of money and some of them like to know where that money went. But the finale is really about the music. And in this case, the money would have been far better spent on hiring a decent dramatic writer who could have added some subtlety and veracity to a crude book from Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux that still dispenses thudding anecdote, easy trivia and crude linkage instead of the live, credible, complex conversation of a quintet of icons of American rock ‘n’ roll.
The target audience appears to be tourists who couldn’t land tickets to Branson, Missouri, much less Jersey Boys, but the performers do pull out the stops. Lance Guest’s subterranean bass is right on the money for Cash, and Robert Britton Lyons and Eddie Clendening form a respectable rockabilly club as Perkins and Presley, respectively. Hunter Foster frets efficiently as Sun king Sam Phillips; Elizabeth Stanley, pretty in pink, adds welcome distaff support as Elvis’s girlfriend. But the night belongs to Levi Kreis, who gives a killer performance as the florid piano showman Jerry Lee Lewis: With the pounding he gives them, it’s a wonder the keys stay on the board.
2010 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2011 | West End |
Original London Production West End |
2011 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Transfer Off-Broadway |
2011 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Drama Desk Awards | utstanding Musical Revue | Million Dollar Quartet |
2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Levi Kreis |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Colin Escott |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Floyd Mutrux |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Relevant Theatricals |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | John Cossette Productions |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | American Pop Anthology |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Broadway Across America |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | James L. Nederlander |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Levi Kreis |
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