29 July 2023
In the nostalgia-fueled business of jukebox musicals, few shows ask more of a cast than “Million Dollar Quartet.” Among the many biographies of hitmakers on American stages, this one requires the performers to be skilled musicians who can transmit the electricity and abandon of early rock ‘n’ roll.
Seven years after first presenting Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott’s distillation of the story of Memphis’ Sun Records, Old Log Theatre is staging a revival that eclipses the first in energy and musicianship. A musical ostensibly about a jam session truly feels like one in this version, which is suffused with the joy of music-making.
By late 1956, producer Sam Phillips and Sun had already launched Elvis Presley to stardom and labelmate Johnny Cash had hit the pop culture radar. On Dec. 4 of that year, those two stopped by Sun Studios for a visit as Carl Perkins was recording some potential follow-up hits to “Blue Suede Shoes,” complemented by Sun’s newest addition, the piano-pounding Jerry Lee Lewis.
David Beukema, from left, Armando Ronconi, Eric Sargent, Kyle Baker, Myia Ann Butler, Elijah Leer and Mitchell Dallman in Old Log Theatre’s production of “Million Dollar Quartet,” a musical about the 1956 recording sessions at Sun Studios in Memphis that featured Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. The show runs through February 17, 2024 at Old Log Theatre in Excelsior. (Courtesy of Old Log Theatre)
Sun Studios was the laboratory in which the blues, country and popular song were spliced into something that would lay the foundation for most of what’s been on the radio since. And this very enjoyable piece of historical fiction channels Sun’s style and substance well.
And it is fiction: That 1956 gathering mostly resulted in harmonizing on gospel tunes. Here, it’s used to frame the tale of a courageous and imaginative underdog in the process of losing a battle with big business, but not going down without a last defiant blast of rock ‘n’ roll energy.
Ah, but the story is clearly secondary in a 100-minute intermission-less show with 23 songs. It’s basically a rootsy rock ‘n’ roll revue with a side of insight into the characters who created all those familiar adrenaline-fueled rave-ups.
Of them, Mutrux and Escott have stacked the deck in favor of Jerry Lee Lewis. While the other three are confronting uncertainty about the direction of their careers, Lewis is in the overconfident flower of his youth, brash, brilliant and more than a bit obnoxious as a co-worker. Elijah Leer ably conveys this live wire who keeps the session humming, especially with his hyperactive piano work.
Equally strong in his spot-on musicianship is Mitchell Dallman as Perkins, whose golden Gibson Les Paul may have the most emotive voice onstage, serving a welcome reminder of the electric guitar’s place in this musical revolution. If his acting’s a bit low-key, his playing more than makes up for it.
While Eric Sargent brings considerably more color to Cash than he did seven years ago, he still hasn’t found the charisma that made a star of the “Man in Black.” Similarly, Armando Harlow Ronconi displays little of the magnetism for which Presley was known. He copies his dance moves, but they seem studied compared to the spontaneous gyrations of Leer’s Lewis.
Myia Ann Butler brings some welcome feminine energy and a fine voice to Presley’s girlfriend, eventually channeling the rambunctious spirit of Wanda Jackson. And Eric Beukema acts as an amiable host in Sam Phillips, while music director/bassist Kyle Baker and drummer Spencer Schoeneman anchor the band admirably. Together with sound designer Nick Mrozek, they never let you forget that the music’s what “Million Dollar Quartet” is all about.
Rob Hubbard can be reached at [email protected].
‘Million Dollar Quartet’
When: Through Feb. 17
Where: Old Log Theatre, 5185 Meadville St., Greenwood
Tickets: $40-$30, available at 952-474-5951 or oldlog.com.
Capsule: An enjoyable, well-executed rock ‘n’ roll revue with a side of history.
Related Articles
High above the ground, young performers in Circus Juventas’s ‘Excalibur’ discover inner and outer strength
Opera on the Lake’s ‘Die Csárdásfürstin’ is breezy summertime fare
Theater Mu wraps a blockbuster summer movie into its blockbuster ‘Kung Fu Zombies Saga’
Review: Guthrie’s ‘Shane’ is a better version of a classic Western
Single tickets now on sale for upcoming Children’s Theatre Company season