Million Dollar Quartet

The vibrant cast of “Million Dollar Quartet” ripped up Popejoy Hall’s stage last night, blasting vibrations of music history to a packed theater. The Tony Award-winning musical set in early December 1956 is the Christmas Special that never really happened. Thanks to Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, who wrote a book about a real one-day jam session at Sun Records with four young Southerners—and then launched a multi-million dollar Broadway show and touring extravaganza—we get to experience an exceptional performance with tons of fun and surprises.

These four musicians hailed from Kingsland, Tiptonville, Ferriday and Tupelo, towns with a combined population about the size of present day Gallup. Born in the early 1930s, all four came out of obscurity to become giants, in large part because of Sun’s Sam Phillips, a record producer who could have been a distant relative of Saul Goodman. Running his empire out of a converted auto parts store in Memphis, Phillips brings together Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley for one day with the hopes of reviving his label.

What sets this production apart is the superior talent of the cast members, who not only act the parts of these four stars, they sing like them while playing instruments with panache equal to the originals. Scott Moreau (playing Cash at age 24) is pro down to his boots in his fourth tour with the company. Though he doesn’t exactly resemble the Man in Black, he sure sounds like him. His voice is nearly identical on some phrasing, especially in “Sixteen Tons”. Moreau plays a vulnerable Cash, who is trying to be both a stand-up guy and someone looking out for his own career, even as Phillips knocks his idea of releasing a gospel album.

Gabe Bowling (as Perkins, also 24 years old) is phenomenal, playing his 1956 Les Paul Goldtop. He’s refined the entire set with supreme confidence and is a powerhouse on “Who Do You Love?” and “My Babe” which morphs into “Sixteen Tons” at one point. Perkins’ brother Jay (Chuck Zayas) is the studio bass player who steadily thumps his upright in the background, at times marveling at the assembly standing in front. Their reminiscing sets off a chain of holiday-flavored brother stories among the four stars, reinforcing their small town roots and bible lessons.

Stealing the stage is Colte Julian (as Lewis, who just turned 21). Arriving at Sun for his debut and looking to seal a deal with Phillips, he’s still correcting assumptions that he’s that comedian Jerry Lewis, but once he starts banging on the piano, all confusion disappears. Julian, himself from a small town in Oklahoma, is on a mission with this part. He delivers a dazzling revival of that rock/boogie-woogie mix that Lewis engineered, all intertwined with a crazy and complex personality. Playing a Yamaha CP300 stage piano housed inside a period-styled upright, Julian slams “Great Balls of Fire” with commanding passion and skill.

When Presley arrives (played by understudy Skye Scott in this performance) he’s greeted with respect and some trepidation, partly because he made “Blue Suede Shoes” a hit when Perkins wrote the song, and partly because Phillips sold him to RCA in order to stay afloat. Scott can’t match Presley’s “it factor” in personality but that’s only because no one can. When it comes to voice and moves, he does a solid job of portraying The King at age 21. He leads the Quartet in “Peace in the Valley” during one of the show’s most satisfying collaborations in terms of blending the four’s hearts and voices.

Bryan Langlitz (playing 33-year-old Sam Phillips) is super sharp and super quick. He knows he’s deep in a wonderland of unique talent and strives to hold on to the moment he knows will soon be gone. What plays a role in successfully relaying this backstory is Langlitz’ timing ability; he intuitively knows how to take intense dialogue and command an audience’s attention in the midst of four young Southerners with major masculine horsepower.

Applause is also due to Patrick Morrow as Fluke, the session drummer, who maintains a solid beat throughout without uttering a word. The set and lighting creation is shining Broadway quality, and the finale treats us to bucket loads of raw musical talent. This high-energy, rockin’, kickin’ and a-bangin’ 90 minute show covering 22 songs is not to be missed.

On assignment for ABQToDo.