MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Breaks Records at Bucks County Playhouse

Bucks County Playhouse's acclaimed production of "Million Dollar Quartet" has surpassed expectations and broken the Playhouse's box office record - becoming the theater's most attended and top grossing production. Playing off the theme of this rock n' roll musical, cast members Sky Seals (who plays Johnny Cash), Ari McKay Wilford (who plays Elvis Presley) and Ryah Nixon will perform. Cast members will join the Playhouse's Producing Director Tony Award-winning Alexander Fraser and staff to "SMASH records."

"Million Dollar Quartet" depicts one of the most magical nights in rock and roll history. It was on December 4, 1956, when an unlikely quartet of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins - all young artists in their 20s on the verge of superstardom - accidentally converged on Sun Records in Memphis for one of music history's most famous jam sessions.

Due to the demand for tickets, Bucks County Playhouse's producing team - Robyn Goodman, Alexander Fraser, Stephen Kocis and Josh Fiedler - recently extended the show (originally scheduled to close September 15) through Saturday, September 29. Directed by original Broadway cast member, Hunter Foster, the Playhouse's production of "Million Dollar Quartet" has been hailed by critics as "an electrifying revival" in which the audience is "caught up in a riotous singalong under sweeping theater lights."

The second show to break the Playhouse's box office record this season, "Million Dollar Quartet" took less than three weeks into its six-week run to surpass Playhouse's recent production of "42nd Street." "The Playhouse is on a roll," says Fraser. "We're excited that so many new patrons are discovering Bucks County Playhouse. This extension will give even more theatergoers the chance to make the Playhouse their go-to place for live entertainment as we work to build an audience that will sustain us long term."

The show features full renditions of top rock 'n' roll, gospel, R&B and country hits, performed live onstage by actors who play their own instruments, as well as sing and perform. The Bucks County cast includes John Michael Presney as Carl Perkins, Sky Seals as Johnny Cash, Brandyn Day as Jerry Lee Lewis, Ari McKay Wilford as Elvis Presley, James Ludwig as Sam Phillips, Ryah Nixon as Dyanne, James David Larson as Jay Perkins and Zach Cossman as Fluke Holland. Josh Smith is Scenic Designer. Lighting Designer is Kirk Bookman. Costume designer is Lauren T. Roark. Bart Fasbender is Sound Designer. John Michael Presney is Music Director. Jane Pole is Production Stage Manager. Michelle Scalpone is Assistant Stage Manager.

The 2018 Bucks County Playhouse Season is sponsored by Bank of America. The production plays the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 pm, Thursdays at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm. There is an additional evening performance on Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets currently start at $45; special rates are available for groups of 10 or more. For complete details, up-to-date pricing and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org, call 215-862-2121, or visit the box office at 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA.

Bucks County Playhouse is a year-round, nonprofit theatre that has grown to a $6 million producing organization with an annual audience of over 73,000. Founded in 1939 in a converted 1790 gristmill, Bucks County Playhouse quickly became "the most famous summer theatre in America," featuring a roster of American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, Kitty Carlisle, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Liza Minnelli and remained in continuous operation until 2010. In 2012, the Playhouse re-opened after a multi-million-dollar restoration thanks to the efforts of the Bridge Street Foundation, the nonprofit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty, and Broadway producer Jed Bernstein. Later this year, the Playhouse will unveil a 4,000 square foot Delaware River-facing restaurant and bar expansion.

Producers Alexander Fraser and Robyn Goodman took helm of the Playhouse, and today the Playhouse has reclaimed its reputation of attracting Broadway and Hollywood artists. Its productions of "Company" starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" were named by Wall Street Journal to its "Best of Theatre" list for 2015. The 2017 season included four world premieres and audiences grew by over 34%. Box office records have been repeatedly broken by Signature Productions of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story", "Steel Magnolias" directed by Marsha Mason, "Guys & Dolls" directed by Hunter Foster, and this summer's "42nd Street". The artists who come to create new productions at the Playhouse are among the most talented artists working in the professional theatre today and relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford and Jessica Walter began their careers.

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