by Tim Leininger

(photo by Meredith Longo/INST: @mereinanutshell)

            I always knew it was inevitable that some shows would be produced more often than others. To be honest, I was expecting it to be musicals like The Sound of Music or plays like Death of a Salesman. Never when I first got into this business of reviewing theater that the most produced show in professional theater over the last nine years would be the rock bio musical Million Dollar Quartet, which is currently running through Oct. 19 at Playhouse on Park at 244 Park Road in West Hartford.

            This is the fifth time I’ve had the privilege to review this musical. At least. At this point, I’ve reviewed it more times than Hunter Foster has starred in and directed it. It’s not a bad show. Unlike many jukebox musicals, it does actually make an attempt at a plot, even if it is mostly fabricated.

            The premise is factual. On December 4, 1956, at Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis Presley (Brian Steinberg), Jerry Lee Lewis (Alex Burnette), Carl Perkins (Chris Coffey), and Johnny Cash (Kendall McShane), came together and jammed on some of their favorite songs. Much of the time in the studio was recorded by owner Sam Phillips (John Elliott) and later released as an album. That all is fact. The rest is either speculative or fictional for the sake of drama. Sam is working with his new acquisition, Jerry Lee, when Carl Perkins comes in for his recording session (Jerry Lee Lewis did actually play piano on Perkins’ song “Matchbox” which was recorded around this time). There’s an immediate dislike between the two as Carl thinks Jerry Lee is an obstinate child and Jerry Lee thinks Carl is washed up.

(photo by Meredith Longo/INST: @mereinanutshell)

            Then comes Johnny Cash, who has been ducking Sam because of contract negotiations. Unbeknownst to Johnny, Sam has a new three-year contract for him while Johnny, unbeknownst to Sam, has been considering another label. Elvis, who has already left Sun Records for RCA Records, arrives with his girlfriend Dyanne (Paloma D’Auria). He is dissatisfied with how RCA and Colonel Parker are treating him and wants to work with Sam again, knowing that RCA has been proposing to buy out Sun Records.

            So, what show creators Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux have done is taken events that more or less did happen and compacted them all into one date where none of it actually happened. In actual history, it would be another year and a half before Johnny Cash would sign with Capitol Records. But what would a musical about four of the biggest artists of their time in one room be without some drama?

            But what audiences really come to see Million Dollar Quartet for is the music, and the quartet, backed up by drummer W.S. “Fluke” Holland (Jeffrey Kelly), bassist Jay Perkins (Joe Nuhfer), and vocals by Dyanne, give exceptional performances of classics like the aforementioned “Matchbox,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hound Dog,” and “Great Balls of Fire” — granted, “Great Balls of Fire” wouldn’t be recorded for nearly another year, but I suppose we could believe that Jerry Lee Lewis had the song in his repertoire a year earlier. Even Dyanne gets a couple songs to perform with “Fever” and “I Hear You Knockin’.”

(photo by Meredith Longo/INST: @mereinanutshell)

            The performances are all good. I’ve seen Alex Burnette as Jerry Lee Lewis before at Sharon Playhouse’s production earlier this year and he hasn’t lost a step as the hot-headed pianist, spending almost as much time sitting or stomping on the piano as he plays it with a sexual rambunctiousness. Chris Coffey, who presents as a little older than the otherwise youthful looking quartet, is dynamite on guitar, and subtly shows Carl’s growing issue with alcoholism, drinking out of a flask bottle or shot glass every chance he gets. Brian Steinberg, when singing the Elvis songs, has the proper swagger and charisma, but he makes a mistake that most people I’ve seen play Elvis in this musical make, turning him into a bit of a mope. I get it, he’s not happy where he is, but a perpetually morose Elvis brings the atmosphere down. Meanwhile, Kendall McShane, who is the tallest of the cast, has a contrasting boyishness about his look, but at the same time contrasts that boyish look with some strong paternal authority toward Jerry Lee Lewis when he acts up too much.

            Million Dollar Quartet, though, is really about Sam Phillips, as he struggles to hold onto the stars in his stable and continue the success of his small operation. I think John Elliott gives Sam a genuine dark side that I like, showing a vulnerability that other Sams have missed, as he desperately juggles feelings of pride, betrayal, and hope.

            Past productions of Million Dollar Quartet have traditionally put a control room upstage of the musicians where Sam goes in from time to time to record the artists. Director Alessandro Gian Viviano with scenic designer Suzu Sakai have chosen to forego this tradition, instead utilizing the theater’s three-quarter stage and putting a recording table stage downright, effectively putting the audience in the control room. It kind of loses its mystique doing it that way, and the setup doesn’t feel as professional as a control room should look. Also, one of the guitar amps was humming way too loudly, like I was right next to it. Speaking of sound, this is a very loud show for the small Playhouse space. If you have hearing sensitivities, I highly recommend using the ear plugs provided at the entrance to the theater.

(photo by Meredith Longo/INST: @mereinanutshell)

            Though Playhouse on Park’s Million Dollar Quartet suffers in design, the success of the musical rests on the performances of said quartet, and the four perform with crowd pleasing fervor. Elvis could look a little happier to be there, but that’s a small critique compared to the electric nature of the show. This show is written for fans of Elvis, Carl, Jerry Lee, and Johnny, and audiences are going to love it.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

TICKETS: https://playhouseonpark.org/

PRODUCTION

Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

Original Concept and Direction by Floyd Mutrux

Inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins

Directed by Alessandro Gian Viviano

Music Director: Chris Coffey

Scenic Designer: Suzu Sakai

Costume Designer: Risa Ando

Lighting Designer: Kyle Stamm

Sound Designer: Mike Winch

Props Artisan/Set Dressing: Darlene Zoller

Production Stage Manager: Rebecca Donaghy

CAST

Brian Steinberg as Elvis Presley

Alex Burnette as Jerry Lee Lewis

Chris Coffey as Carl Perkins

Kendall McShane as Johnny Cash

John Elliott as Sam Phillips

Paloma D’Auria as Dyanne

Jeffrey Kelly as W. S. “Fluke” Holland

Joey Nuhfer as Jay Perkins