Paramount's 'Million Dollar Quartet' captures golden moment in music history
I went to the Paramount Theatre in Aurora Saturday to see a musical, and a concert broke out. Or maybe it was the other way around. But no matter how you characterize it, Paramount's rafter-rattling revival of “Million Dollar Quartet” delivered.
And how. Rousing rock 'n' roll classics performed by a spectacular septet of actor/musicians elicited a rapturous response from the foot-tapping, hand-clapping, head-bobbing crowd.
Part rock 'n' roll history lesson, part homage to its pioneers - including visionary producer Sam Phillips - this jukebox tuner is a fictionalized account of a 1956 jam session at Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, where the titular quartet - Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley - briefly came together.
Conceived by Floyd Mutrux, with a book by Mutrux and Colin Escott and 22 songs by Cash, Perkins, Chuck Berry, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller among others, “Million Dollar Quartet” opened at the Goodman Theatre in September 2008. After a brief run, it transferred to the Apollo Theatre, where it played for more than seven years.
Revived by director Jim Corti and music director Kory Danielson at the much larger Paramount, the show loses nothing in translation. Credit Corti, who captures rock's raw, unbridled exuberance as well as the more intimate moments of self-doubt, frustration and jealousy between musicians who - at this early stage in their careers - find themselves at a crossroads.
We first meet Phillips, the father of rock 'n' roll, played with inspired enthusiasm by Nicholas Harazin. His wise, wistful performance conveys Phillips' unwavering passion for music and deep affection for the musicians he nurtured even after he lost them to the competition.
The action occurs on Dec. 4, 1956, during a recording session by Carl Perkins (Broadway veteran Adam Wesley Brown, who pairs explosive guitar playing with nicely nuanced acting). It's punctuated by Phillips' recollections of how he met the “boys” he helped make stars.
But all is not well within the Sun universe. Frustrated at his inability to follow up his hit “Blue Suede Shoes” and embittered that Presley's version fared better than his, Perkins is anxious. He grudgingly accepts Phillips' suggestion to add piano accompaniment provided by cocksure newcomer Jerry Lee Lewis (the engagingly impudent Gavin Rohrer), who backs up his boasts with top-notch playing.
Johnny Cash (classically trained baritone Bill Scott Sheets) and Elvis Presley (a spot-on Kavan Hashemian) arrive later, the latter accompanied by his girlfriend Dyanne (Courtney Mack).
The reunion is a homecoming of sorts for Elvis, whose contract Phillips sold to RCA to keep Sun Records afloat. Wary of RCA and uncertain about the direction his career is taking, Elvis seems to crave the comfort of Sun's studio where invaluable support comes from the powerhouse rhythm section comprised of bassist Jay (Zach Lentino) and drummer Fluke (Scott Simon).
Hashemian perfectly executes Presley's trademark moves and charming sneer, as well as his slightly reedy, youthful twang. Mack, meanwhile, is a dynamo who gives charm and substance to a fictionalized character. And Sheets impresses with his sonorous voice and quietly composed acting, which hints at Cash's inner conflict.
Jessie Pinnick plays Phillips' real-life colleague Marion Kiesker (a nonspeaking role), who records the session and whose inclusion reminds us rock 'n' roll had mothers as well as fathers.
The jukebox format is ideal for this tale of young musicians searching for their sound and the man who gave them the courage to find it - then shared it with a nation.
“Rock 'n' roll ain't a fad,” Phillips proclaims, “it's a revolution.”
Corti's primo cast members play this music like it was coded in their DNA.
Rohrer's keyboard-rattling performance on “Great Balls of Fire” and the house-rockin' encore “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On” nearly stop the show. So do Scott's deeply resonant “Folsom Prison Blues,” Hashemian's tour-de-force “Hound Dog” and Brown's defiantly growling “Who Do You Love?” As for Mack, she more than holds her own on the rollicking “I Hear You Knockin'.” And the lovely a cappella “Down By the Riverside” affirms the divine influence on the devil's music.
The magic unfolds on Kevin Depinet's cozy set: an unassuming brick building over which an enormous guitar hangs. Upstage right, a faded red bicycle (Jerry Lee's?) leans against the building. A few feet away is a gleaming red automobile (property of Elvis perhaps?). The present and the future, side-by-side. While inside those walls, history was made.
“Million Dollar Quartet”
★ ★ ★ ★
Location: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666 or
Showtimes: 1:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 29
Tickets: $36-$64
Running time: About 2 hours, 10 minutes, including intermission
Parking: Limited street parking, paid lots nearby
Rating: For teens and older