Review: The Phoenix Theatre Company Presents MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS

We are once again delighted to welcome David Appleford as a guest contributor to the pages of BroadwayWorld ~ as always, featuring his distinctive, well-balanced, and intelligent perspective on theatre. In this case, he shines the light on The Phoenix Theatre Company's production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS.

Until his recent retirement, David was a beloved and highly esteemed presence in the performing arts scene, reporting on films and theatre at radio and TV stations around the country for more than thirty-five years and hosting his highly popular website, Valley Screen and Stage. With his keen sense of history and acute understanding of the world of theatre, his perceptive reviews set a standard for all of us.

Here now ~ From the keyboard of the inimitable David Appleford:

It used to be a Memphis auto-parts store. Then it was converted into a recording studio for Sun Records. And it was there, on December 4, 1956, where it happened; by chance, four rock 'n roll legends met and jammed into the evening. Those four were Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.

It wasn't planned. It just happened, and record producer and impresario Sam Phillips has the tapes to prove it. There was speculation questioning whether Johnny Cash ever hung around long enough to play with the other three that afternoon. The singer insisted he did, and if the man in black says he was there, that's good enough for me.

The events of December 4 became the basis for what eventually developed into the 2010 Broadway jukebox musical, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, a show whose locally regional production was staged to great success and acclaim by The Phoenix Theatre Company in March 2018. Now, three years later, comes the sequel, a jukebox musical that picks up at practically the moment where the original left off, only this time there's a difference.

In addition to the classic fifties chart-toppers of the day, the rock 'n roll played this time around leans heavily towards the yuletide season in which the impromptu jamming session occurred. And just like the original Phoenix 2018 production, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS is a genuine rock 'n roll musical theatre thrill ride.

Running now throughout the holiday season until January 2 on the Phoenix Theatre Company's Mainstage Theatre, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS, written by Colin Escott, co-writer of the original production, differs somewhat in style from the original. Unlike the previous production where the narration was delivered by Sam Phillips (Kyle Sorrell, returning to the role he played in the 2018 production and looking as though he's still having a ball), here each principal player has their moment where the fourth wall is broken and they connect directly with the audience, beginning with Elvis's date at the time, Dyanne (Amanda Valenzuela).

"There's no doubt who runs the show," Dyanne observes, referring to producer Sam Phillips. She may be in the company of four musical greats, but it was easy for her to see that it was Sam who was in charge. When the four musicians begin to jam to a moderately paced version of Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Sam punches the air and orders, "Make it sound like a Sun Record!"

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS breaks no new creative theatrical grounds or boundaries, plus writer Escott's scant book offers little conflict or emotional hurdles for players to overcome. Elvis (Daniel Durston) may lament over his oncoming selective duty orders for the military, stating, "I wish they'd select someone else." And Sam Phillips expresses clear annoyance with losing his boy Elvis to Colonel Tom Parker. "If he's a colonel, I'm a general's daughter," Sam declares. But conflict and overcoming hurdles is not what the show is about. It's about the music, the playing, the singing, and the jamming, all with a Christmas flair; and it's here where the show truly delivers.

Beginning in fine rock 'n roll form with Home For The Holidays, for the following ninety minutes, each of the four soon-to-be legends burst into high-energy performance mode, either singing solo or supporting each other with a string of familiar mainstream and seasonal hits of the day, culminating with a grand finale megamix of Christmas rock.

Backed by Nathan Yates Douglass on bass and Chris Cerreto on drums, and under musical director Chuck Mead and associate musical director Jonny Baird's musical supervision, director Scott Weinstein, who also directed the previous 2018 Phoenix production, stages his musical performances as though we're watching not so much a jamming session in a studio but a full-blown, live concert.

Performed in a new, superbly designed set of the Sun Records studio by a New York City-based scenic design company called simply Dots, and trimmed for Christmas, once the music starts, Ryan O'Gara's lighting design bursts into action with as much visual excitement as the music itself. And as with the original production, the real strength of this sequel is the cast; excellent musician/performers who manage to recreate specific elements of their real-life counterparts in a way that most of us (of a certain age) will immediately recognize.

Gregg Hammer's Johnny Cash is a solid, stoic figure; Sam Sherwood injects a continual playful exuberance to his Carl Perkins, with guitar licks that can't help but steal the show; JP Coletta holds nothing back as a young, cocksure Jerry Lee Lewis whose piano playing style is to fearlessly attack those keys as if his fingers were hammers; and if you catch Daniel Durston's young Elvis Presley at the right angle under the right light, you'd swear you've just seen a dead-ringer for the king himself. Plus, Amanda Valenzuela's Dyanne not only backs and harmonizes with the guys but leads on what may be the most delightful version of Mele Kalikimaka you're ever likely to hear.

Million Dollar Quartet Christmas is a world premiere. Upon completion, the show will eventually tour, but it's here, in Phoenix, where Valley audiences get to be the first to experience this brand new, hugely entertaining, seasonally-flavored, high-energy production. It's The Phoenix Theatre Company's gift for the season, and the good news is that the package, once opened, turns out to be something quite special.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET CHRISTMAS runs through January 2nd at The Phoenix Theatre Company's Mainstage Theatre.

Photo credit to Reg Madison Photography: L to R: Daniel Durston as Elvis Presley, Sam Sherwood as Carl Perkins, Gregg Hammer as Johnny Cash, and JP Coletta as Jerry Lee Lewis

The Phoenix Theatre Company ~ 1825 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ ~ https://www.phoenixtheatre.com/ ~ 602-254-2151

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