On Dec. 4, 1956, Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records studio in Memphis, flipped the switch to record an impromptu jam session between four of the biggest musical talents of the era: Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. That moment is recaptured in Beef & Board Dinner Theatre’s current production of “Million Dollar Quartet.”
The action of the show opens with Sun Records producer Sam Phillips (Eddie Curry) hosting a recording session with Carl Perkins (Christopher Wren). Probably the least known member of the four, Perkins is most famous for authoring Elvis Presley’s hit “Blue Suede Shoes.” And Perkins is wearing them.
As each of the three other members of the quartet appear on the other side of the studio’s glass door, audience members can’t help but smile in recognition of familiar looks or behavior.
Jerry Lee Lewis (Brian Michael Henry) immediately establishes his in-your-face, I’m-all-that persona by plopping one foot up on the keyboard of his piano. Johnny Cash (Justin Figueroa) makes his appearance as the man in black, guitar strung over his back. And finally, the King himself — Elvis Presley (Edward La Cardo) — shows up in his trademark white suit.
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The loose premise of the story involves Phillips trying to restart Carl Perkins’ career with another hit, re-sign Johnny Cash, discuss moving to RCA with Elvis and introducing Lewis as a new rockabilly talent. And in between these negotiations, the four musical stars play their greatest hits.
Curry’s dialogue is peppered with colorful and hilarious colloquialisms such as: “Now, don’t be thinking I tripped in the luck bucket finding these guys.” He clearly cares for his musical discoveries, but he is every bit the agent looking to line his own pockets as well as theirs.
The fun of this show is the spot-on character impressions by each of the four musicians. Not only do they look and act like their famous counterparts, they sing and play their instruments just like the real thing. This fact didn’t hit home until I looked up into the eaves — the familiar location for the Beef & Boards musical accompanists — and they weren’t there.
But on the stage, there was Jerry Lee Lewis sitting at the piano, his feet moving back and forth as if they were on a keyboard of their own; Johnny Cash on the guitar strumming out his chicka-boom, chicka-boom rhythm; Elvis churning out his incredible dance moves; and Carl Perkins, the father of rockabilly with his own distinctive twangy guitar sound.
As with last summer’s “Ring of Fire,” its Johnny Cash retrospective, Beef & Boards is at its best with these musical tributes. The entire performance condensed the years of their musical history into a single evening.
The best moment of the show came as the four gathered around the piano recreating the iconic pose captured in that long-ago photo. And as the lights came down — except for a spot on the quartet — strains of the original recording of “Down By the Riverside” came over the speakers. It was a goosebumps moment, as if the audience were all there and part of that historic occasion.
Before leaving the stage, each performed one of their hits: Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” Johnny Cash’s “Riders in the Sky,” Carl Perkins’ “See You Later, Alligator” and Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”
And as the lights went out, we hear the solemn intonation of “ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.” Gone, but definitely not forgotten.
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“Million Dollar Quartet,” a Tony Award winning musical captures a moment in history when a twist of fate brings singers and musicians Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever. Playing through Aug. 26, visit beefandboards.com for show times and ticket prices. For reservations, call the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Box Office at 317-872-9664.
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