Post Gazette: You can't help but wish the walls could talk within the tight quarters of the Union Avenue storefront in Memphis. The displays of photographs include some of the biggest names of the rock 'n' roll era, with one larger than all the rest. It shows the day in 1956 that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis gathered for a one-time only jam session at Sun Record Studios, a moment at the birth of rock that lives on in that image and also in the recordings that surfaced decades later. Well, some wishes do come true...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Back to the roots of rock: 'Million Dollar Quartet' celebrates a real fab four
Post Gazette: You can't help but wish the walls could talk within the tight quarters of the Union Avenue storefront in Memphis. The displays of photographs include some of the biggest names of the rock 'n' roll era, with one larger than all the rest. It shows the day in 1956 that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis gathered for a one-time only jam session at Sun Record Studios, a moment at the birth of rock that lives on in that image and also in the recordings that surfaced decades later. Well, some wishes do come true...
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Just one of the shows coming to the Benedum for what is an amazing season. Between this, Billy Elliot, La Cage, and others, the lineup for this year seems prime for pulling in audience members. So many great productions and revivals have recently gone on tour, which I am grateful for because I did not have an opportunity to see most of them in New York. And with student prices tours are often much more affordable to younger crowds, which is wonderful for bringing high school and college kids into the performing arts. Million Dollar Quarter sounds unique in its staging - and I will be interested to see the designs put forth for the tour and how they play into what is going on in terms of the characters and the plot line.
Kassondra is very right. It is so nice that audiences all across America get to experience Broadway shows that would otherwise be inaccessible if not for these touring productions. As a student on a college budget, it is also extremely considerate of most of these shows to offer student rush tickets. What a great way to get the younger community involved in theatre!! Million Dollar Quartet is one of those shows that seems guaranteed to please audiences of all ages. I would be very excited to hear if the creative team pulled through and delivered designs to live up to the amount of fame and glory contained within this show.
I saw this show in Chicago back when it was at the Apollo, and honestly I found it pretty unexciting. It's a good premise for a story, and the performers, songs, and arrangements are great, but it misses so many opportunities to dig deeper into the history of the time and just how significant that recording session was. That's not to say it won't sell to a touring audience: it will because the songs are catchy and well-performed, and it features songs most audience members know and love, but I wish that touring shows could give an audience a more enriching time at the theatre, and not just flat products that to me felt like a less good version of "Jersey Boys."
The thing I like most about this production is the way it's staged and how real the actors are about portraying these characters. I saw the show at the Apollo Theater in Chicago, which is a much smaller and more intimate space than the Benedum. Though the small space helped to fully recreate the small music studio onstage, the energy with which these actors and musicians perform is way more than enough to fill a larger space. I enjoy the idea that this show is touring, much like the real members of the Million Dollar Quartet did in their days of shining fame.
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