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.
Really, this is little more than a glorified club act, a concert of terrific formative rock and roll loosely held together with conversational connective tissue and telescoped rock history. Considerable care has clearly been taken to cast more for sound-alikes than look-alikes, and the musicians - especially Levi Kreis as irrepressible newcomer Jerry Lee - convey the raw, rough energy of guys raised dirt-poor and riding a comet to unknowable cultural change...[Sam] Phillips urges on his fine musicians: 'My God, this is where the soul of music never dies.' Well, perhaps it does turn over in its grave a bit.
The problem is that these four stars are played by journeymen. Only Levi Kreis, as Jerry Lee Lewis, projects any kind of energy. Lance Guest displays an impressive baritone as Cash, but he trips on half his spoken lines. Robert Britton Lyons' Carl Perkins barely registers, even though the character has a chip on his shoulder that could have made for good drama -- if, you know, the show had been remotely interested in drama. Worse of all, Eddie Clendening's Elvis is completely neutered. It's impossible to picture this guy driving millions of women crazy. Even the girlfriend who accompanies him to the studio, Dyanne (Elizabeth Stanley, from 'Cry-Baby'), seems vaguely bored.
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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