MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

I have only one problem with this offering from 5 Star Theatricals that’s running now at the Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks. And that’s…that I don’t know where to begin lauding this wonderful production! For once, I’ve just seen a show with not even one weakness! The appreciative and fun Opening Night audience went wild from start to finish.

So I advise that all SoCal denizens rush out to see Million Dollar Quartet this week-end because Sunday is the last day it’s playing in Thousand Oaks. (But luckily for those who miss it here, it moves to Long Beach in the middle of April. All the info you need is at the bottom of this review, of course.)

To get to experience such great live music is wonderful. But mix-in that all the songs are classics, and are augmented with such amusing and informative dialogue, and you have an even bigger winner. And that it’s a famous real-life story makes Million Dollar Quartet a trifecta of entertainment!

In case you don’t know what this Tony-nominated Broadway musical is about, it’s a simple, and mainly truthful, dramatization of a historic impromptu event in the music world.

On December 4, 1956, Blue Suede Shoes writer and singer, Carl Perkins, was recording at the forever-after-famous Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. A very young, (and not yet the star that he was to become,) Jerry Lee Lewis was backing him up on piano, and later, two other Sun recording artists, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, stopped by. What ensued that evening was a once-in-a-lifetime jam session that was, very brilliantly, secretly recorded by label head Sam Phillips’ engineer, Jack Clement. (But Jack is not depicted in this show. I just want to give real-world credit where it’s due.)

And then in recent years, that incredible story was turned into a musical. That was actually pretty easy to do—the cast is small, it’s not a dancing kind-of musical so there’s no choreography to speak of, (but a lot of clever blocking, which I’ll get to in a minute,) and no new songs were needed because they just played the classics the guys actually sang that night, in a variety of genres–music that’s already beloved by so many Americans. It was a no-brainer.

So, for those of you who think that tunes from that quartet are not your cup of tea, let me tell you that rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and country are far from my type of music, as well. I’m mostly a hip-hop and R&B girl, but I loved everything played in Million Dollar Quartet because these musicians/actors are all so brilliant! And I totally appreciated the peek at history. The entire performance is so exciting, and I couldn’t help but bop along to it all!

As easy as the writing of this show must have been, (because much of it is taken straight from the recordings,) it’s actually a hard one to cast–you have to find actors who are not only excellent musicians, but can portray these famous beings so well.

And this production found the perfect guys for the job. This is a very talented cast, all the way around, even in the one non-musical role of Sam Phillips, (who was a fellow Capricorn, so I’m sure I would have loved him,) played by Adam Poole. Adam adeptly kept the action moving the whole time, often talking directly to the audience. I loved when he reacted to what some of the people called-out from time to time.

As someone who didn’t get past Shaum’s famous Pre-A piano book when I was a kid, I was most impressed with Garrett Forrestal, who played Jerry Lee Lewis. Where did they find this guy??? He plays a mean piano and he has a lot of personality, as Jerry did back in the day. Every few notes I jotted down that night were about how much I enjoyed him. (Because of his talent, I even told Garrett I’d marry him at the after-party! Not that he asked, of course.) He was so good at all of it—the comedy, the physicality, and the singing, in addition to the all-important piano playing. His piano skills were so incredible that my friend Nina, a singer and musician in her own right, actually thought that there was someone else in the pit playing the piano for him! She could not believe that someone could do all that!

I feel that the hardest icon to portray is Elvis Presley, since everyone and his brother have done so over the years. And LJ Benet does an admirable job here. I got inside info that many of the cast members, including LJ, had only a week of rehearsal, which blew my mind. He has all the moves down perfectly. The audience screamed occasionally, as though they were seeing the real Elvis!

Rounding-out the cast are Will Riddle, (an incredible guitarist,) as Carl Perkins; Peter Oyloe as Johnny Cash; Summer Nicole Greer as a female pal of Elvis; Lonn Hayes as Fluke, the drummer; and Benny Lipson as Carl’s brother, Jay, (even though the Perkins’ brother Clayton was the one on bass that night in real life.)

They are all excellent musicians, with Lipson, Forrestal, and Riddle being the most outstanding ones. Riddle even popped a guitar string early on in the first act when I saw the show, but he carried on. I love that. With the way he shreds that thing, I’m surprised all the strings don’t combust!

You can tell the actors are all having fun playing this music, most likely as the real guys did. (I actually know how much these 5 Star Theatricals musicians love what they’re doing on stage because they kept playing all through the opening night party!!!) Their own amusement adds to the audience’s enjoyment of the show.

Since the Million Dollar Quartet is mainly all songs, I especially applaud the director for how varied all the movement around the stage is. It’s done so realistically.

As to the fabulous live music itself, there’s a wonderful assortment of numbers, including a quiet gospel song, Peace in the Valley, that was accompanied by only one guitar.

The music builds in Act Two, and when Nina and I saw Million Dollar Quartet last week-end, so did the audience’s appreciation. We were absolutely going gaga by the concert-style ending, when we were all already up on our feet.

Now, as a stickler for entertainments being portrayed exactly correctly, I have a couple of tiny bones to pick with the writers of this show, (who are from Broadway, not this particular presentation, mind you.)

The first is that I don’t understand why the original script had to make the girl who Elvis brings along that night into one of the performers, and change her name, to boot! The real girl, Marilyn Evans, was a dancer, not a singer, who, according to the recordings, (and to Marilyn herself!,) did not participate in the music that night. Yet, this script calls her Dyanne, (with the fancy “y,” no less, rather than the normal-at-the-time “I,”) and has her sing two numbers. Perhaps that’s because the playwrights didn’t want the show to be solely a sausage-fest. But this is the second time I’ve seen it and I feel that, although this audience went nuts for Greer’s rendition of Fever, the character is not necessary, especially since the rest of the story is pretty much true.

My other small bone is that the dialogue indicates that Elvis is already a big movie star when he arrives at the studio that night, but his very first film, Love Me Tender, was released just a scant three weeks before this took place! (I’m sure, though, that not one other person but me noticed, nor cared about, that tiny bit of the story.)

But the technical aspects of this piece are spot-on at the Kavli. The set is perfect as is the all-important sound over there.

Million Dollar Quartet does get a tad serious near the end. (Don’t all things in life?) And prepare to choke-up a bit, (yes, as I did,) when they take that very famous picture at the piano.

I love when an experience can teach me something new, and one thing I learned from this one is that Elvis once opened for comedian Shecky Greene in Vegas! I must have heard that fact the first time I saw this show in 2018, but I obviously blocked it out, on purpose.

One suggestion about the Kavli itself, one of my favorite theatres—it tends to get a tad chilly in there, so dress in layers.

Now on to the after-party, that Nina and I were more happy than ever to be a part of. I have never seen such a fun one in all my years of attending them. It was at the Pizza Cookery in Thousand Oaks, and besides that the food was delicious, (especially the pizza, which was just oozing with cheese,) the cast could not stop playing music all night! There was a piano right on-site, and Benny Lipson even produced his trombone!!! It was all very magical.

I got to speak in-depth with three of the actors—Adam Poole, LJ Benet, and Garrett Forrestal–and let me tell you, they were all darling.

Sometimes people ask me why I’m willing to travel a bit far to Thousand Oaks for these 5 Star Theatrical presentations. How about—all of the above? It’s always a pleasure there, that’s why! It’s a lovely theatre, featuring wonderful celebrated Broadway shows, with easy parking, and fun eateries and shops near-by. Every city should be so lucky to have a place like this less than an hour away! Now go take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Million Dollar Quartet running through March 24 2024
Bank of America Performing Arts Center–Kavli Theatre
2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks
805-449-2787  www.5startheatricals.com

And then from April 12-28, 2024
Musical Theatre West
The Carpenter Performing Arts Center
6200 E. Atherton Street, Long Beach
562-856-1999 www.musical.org