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.
Unfortunately, almost the last thing that Million Dollar Quartet feels like is an impromptu jam session. What it is, instead, is a musical drama—albeit one lacking in suspense, since we know before it starts how it will come out—about Sam Phillips, presented here as the founding pioneer of rock & roll, and how the 'boys' whom he nurtured to fame one by one abandon him. Interspersed throughout this drama are the songs of the jam session, often played in snippets so that the story can play out literally between verses. (For example, 'Great Balls of Fire,' the climax of the session in this musical, is interrupted twice by Phillips's soliloquizing.) Because the narrative is constructed so snugly around and within the songs, and because the performances are glitzily polished (as one would indeed expect at a Broadway musical charging $125+ for tickets), spontaneity is pretty much vanquished from the proceedings. And of course spontaneity would seem to be the precise feeling that the creators of this show ought to be going for if they want to re-create the unplanned brilliance of that famous evening.
Broadway's parade of musicals for people who grew up on rock rather than show tunes continues with 'Million Dollar Quartet,' which eschews the music of Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim for the sounds of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. By placing the latter gentlemen among the dramatis personae and lacing the proceedings with a fair deal of historical dramatis, authors Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux and director Eric Schaeffer have come up with a crowdpleaser that mixes jukebox and story into a satisfying whole, while the knockout performances keep the joint jumpin' with great balls of fire.
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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