There's A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On at The Charlottetown Festival!

This summer's mega-concert musical, Million Dollar Quartet is set to open at The Charlottetown Festival at Confederation Centre next week. Sponsored by Tim Horton's, the most anticipated Island production of the year has been on fire at the box office all year and promises to wow theatregoers when the curtain lifts on June 14.

In December 1956, a 20 yr. old Jerry Lee Lewis, 21 yr. old Elvis Presley, 24 yr. old Johnny Cash, and 24 yr. old Carl Perkins stepped into the legendary Sun Record Studios under the direction of Sam Phillips and created an evening of musicianship that, by today's standards, would have taken months to arrange and negotiate.

"Imagine what it would have been like to be a fly on the wall and experienced that evening first-hand," enthuses Director and Choreographer Tracey Flye. "The comradery, the competition, and the opportunity to get a private glimpse into the lives of these young men -- out of the spotlight for a few precious hours and able to simply be themselves and revel in each other's musical talents."

That is what Million Dollar Quartet promises -- a momentary glimpse into these four extraordinary lives, under ordinary circumstances. Four young musicians unaffected by their public persona for an evening, able to play for the pure joy of playing. "How lucky are we that the producer and architect of that evening, Sam Phillips, had the foresight to make it all happen!? " exclaims Flye.

The cast includes Greg Gale (Cash), Matthew Lawrence (Elvis), Jefferson McDonald (Jerry Lee), Ed Murphy (Perkins), Alicia Toner (Dyanne), and Stephen Guy-McGrath (Sam Phillips). Additional accompaniment is provided by Trevor Grant (Fluke, the drummer) and Evan Stewart (Brother Jay Perkins, bass).

Million Dollar Quartet is musically directed by Bob Foster, with sets and costumes from Corey Sincennes, lighting by Michael Walton, and sound design by Peter McBoyle. The original concept and direction is by Floyd Mutrux, with the book by Colin Escott and Mutrux. Adam Brazier is Artistic Director for The Charlottetown Festival.

Special thanks are extended to the Government of Canada for their support of Confederation Centre; production sponsor, Tim Horton's; and The Charlottetown Festival sponsor, CIBC. Appreciation is extended to media sponsors Ocean 100, Hot 105.5, CTV, and The Guardian.

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