By Mike Hoban
‘Million Dollar Quartet’ – Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux; Directed by Ilyse Robbins; Music Directed by James Scheider; Scenic Designer, Patrick Lynch; Lighting Designer, Jeff Adelberg; Costume Designer, Stephen Pasqual; Sound Designer, John Stone; Presented by the Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham through May 19
From the hammering opening riffs from Carl Perkins’ guitar until the rocking finale, Greater Boston Stage Company’s production Million Dollar Quartet is a scorcher of a show. A fictionalized account of an actual studio session featuring early rock n’ roll pioneers Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, Quartet may be the first “jukebox musical” that doesn’t make the moniker sound like an insult. In fact, the term is both accurate and complimentary as the songs blasting out of this jukebox are given explosive new life.
It’s December 4, 1956 in Memphis, Tennessee – when Rock n’ Roll was still in its infancy – and legendary Sun Studios owner and record producer Sam Philips (Robert Saoud) is working with Perkins (Nile Scott Hawver) to help get his career back on track, trying to find another hit record like his “Blue Suede Shoes”. He’s brought in a brash young piano player, none other than “The Killer” himself, Jerry Lee Lewis (James Scheider, who also served as music director), to add some oomph to the songs. There’s some comical and spirited squabbling between the two as they work out a song arrangement, as Lewis taunts Perkins as a “has-been”, that serves gives us a glimpse into the creative process of a recording session, but they’re soon joined by Elvis (Luke Linsteadt), his fictional girlfriend Dyanne (Melissa Geerlof), and Johnny Cash (Austin Wayne Price) for a jam session that one could only imagine in rockabilly heaven.
Having played in rockabilly bands myself, one of my concerns before seeing the show was that it would follow the jukebox musical formula of just trotting out the surefire, predictable hits to score nostalgia points with the audience – but I’m happy to report that is absolutely not the case. Director Ilyse Robbins has wisely stacked the deck with a cast that really seems to understand and embrace the material, and the result is a raw and pulsating rockabilly rave up. The actors, Elvis/Linstead, Cash/Price, and Lewis/ Scheider (who originated the role in its first reading) have all appeared in multiple productions of Million Dollar Quartet, and locals Hawver (who’s a killer rockabilly guitarist) and Geerlof, blend right in with this talented bunch. The actors also adroitly avoid becoming caricatures of the legends, giving us a flavor for the personalities without resorting to cliché. Linsteadt’s infuses his young Elvis with an appropriate dose of talent and humility, delivering plenty of swivel-hipped excitement without going too far over the top. Trey Lundquist (drums) and Matthew Pitts (bass) as Perkins band, also provide a solid backline for the performers.
The cast also looks like they’re having a blast playing, and like any good rock n’ roll band, one imagines that they’re finding new things in the music every night. Old chestnuts like “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and “Hound Dog” are given fresh arrangements, and lesser known material (for today’s audiences anyway), rock just as hard. Each male performer gets his chance to shine on the rockers, and come together for a heartfelt version of “Down by the Riverside” as well. As the only female performer (not surprisingly, in a form-fitting red dress), Geerloff more than holds her own with the boys, delivering a sultry but muscular version of “Fever” early on, and rocking rendition of “I Hear You Knockin’” towards the end of the show in addition to providing some stellar backup vocals.
This is a show I’ve been word-of-mouthing all week to friends who love music but don’t go to the theater very often, but it’s also a wonderful example of how “jukebox musicals” can work as theater. Either way, just go. For additional information and tickets, go to: www.greaterbostonstage.org
