Theater review by Ralph Greco, Jr.
On December 4th, 1956, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis gathered at the infamous Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, for the first and only time they would play and record together.
Dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet, this is the stuff of rock and roll legend, and the title and subject of the new and equally rockin’ Broadway musical at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City.
What’s needed to pull off a musical like this is four theater performers who can not only impersonate Presley, Perkins, Jerry Lee and Cash, but guys who can play and sing well, since in this show they do play 23 songs with only an “orchestra” of Corey Kaiser on upright bass and Larry Lelli on drums behind them.
No worries though as Eddie Clendening play Elvis Presley, Lance “The Last Starfighter” Guest plays Johnny Cash, Levi Kreis is a blistering Jerry Lee Lewis, and Robert Bitton Lyons portrays Carl Perkins — all as near perfect as you can imagine.
A lot was happening for Sam Phillips’ garage-turned-hit-making recording studio and two-man record company in those days. His discovery Elvis Presley had left for RCA, who attempted to get Phillips and Sun to become part of the label and make hit records with Presley again.
Meanwhile, Cash was waiting for his Sun contract to run out so he could make a gospel record for Columbia and many more after that. Jerry Lee had just signed to Sun and was about to record all his early hits. Perkins was, like Cash on his way out, after Presley sang, recorded and hit the charts with “Blue Suede Shoes.”
Phillips, played by Hunter Foster, tells the story of meeting each one of the four, his monologues interspersed within the musical numbers, as almost all the action here takes place in a wonderful Derek McLane Sun Records recording studio.
Ultimately, however, this play is all about the music, and this is where the performers really shine.
Guest (as Cash) stands out more than everybody on the stage, presenting that imposing figure we have all come to expect. When he sings, he sounds spot-on, hitting all those low, resonant notes, especially on “I Walk The Line.” Clendening has the look and leg shaking of Presley to the point that it’s not merely a parody (which would have been so easy to do).
Lyons can really play guitar, with a nervousness that gives one the feel of Perkins’ career plight at the time. And what else can I say except that Levi Kreis is a wonder as Jerry Lee Lewis. Granted the guy has a lot to work with, “The Killer” is by far the fieriest personality of the four. I was as impressed by Kreis’ kinetic performances and naughty asides as I was with his piano playing. In fact, it was Kreis, Kaiser and Lyons who provided a lot of those background musical moments, under dialogue or action, where their true musical talent shown.
The play ends with a concert setting, the entire Sun Records studio lifted to reveal bright white backing lights. The four step into shiny Nudie jackets to run through “Hound Dog,” “Riders In The Sky,” “See You Later Alligator,” and the encore “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On.”
A nod to Kai Harada for his sound design where nary a note is missed or an instrument not heard during the nearly two hour show. If you are anywhere near New York or Chicago (it’s playing at the city’s Apollo Theater), Million Dollar Quartet should not be missed.
