4 STARS Mar 28 – Apr 1. After a successful stint on the West End, The Million Dollar Quartet comes to The New Victoria Theatre. Amanda Hodges enjoyed a rocking good time watching the story of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee's one off collaboration
Darren Bell
On December 4, 1956 a very special musical get-together took place in the confines of Sam Phillips’ small (but seminal) Sun Studios in Memphis. None other than Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and a young Jerry Lee Lewis participated in an impromptu jamming session that has become known as ‘The Million Dollar Quartet,’ something now immortalised on stage in the touring version of the hit musical.
There are legions of rock ‘n’ roll nostalgia shows but what this one does so skilfully and with a hefty emotional punch too is to evoke the spirit of this particular era when Phillips (played here by Jason Donovan), doyen of indie record labels, battled to stay afloat in what was fundamentally a tiny operation, his natural talent and tenacity pitched against the might of the big record companies.
It’s almost Christmas and as the show opens Jerry Lee Lewis is in the studio, recruited to work as a session musician on a Carl Perkins recording. Elvis- whom Phillips discovered in 1955 and regretfully sold (when impecunious) to RCA in early 1956- returns to visit his mentor as does Johnny Cash and soon the four are whooping up a storm in the studio with a range of numbers that encompass rockabilly, gospel and undiluted rock and roll.
All four of the actor-musicians playing live are terrific, oozing palpable energy and musical prowess. From Long Tall Sally, Walk The Line, a wonderful version of Down by the Riverside and the iconic Great Balls of Fire, it’s a real treat to see them play at full blast and all is staged so credibly it really does feel like it’s unscripted and that they’re simply jamming amongst friends, so full credit to director Ian Talbot.
Darren Bell
Newest cast member Ashley Carruthers has the showier, scene-stealing role of portraying the flamboyant piano-bashing Jerry Lee whose unbridled raw talent is only matched by his lack of people skills, but to single anyone out would be iniquitous since they’re a truly dynamic quartet who work superbly well together. Robbie Durham captures all Cash’s taciturn intensity, Ross William Wild is perfect as the swivel-hipped, sensuous Elvis and, with perhaps the hardest role- since Carl Perkins isn’t as instantly recognisable as his cohorts- Matthew Wycliffe brings real vitality to Perkins’ numbers with his sensational guitar-playing. And Katie Ray as the fictional Dyanne, Elvis’ girlfriend, is never swamped by the male energy on stage, holding her own both vocally and as an actor.
Jason Donovan offers a strong performance too as the tough but fair Phillips, whose vulnerability is glimpsed in the show’s final moments as his sure hold on his artists starts to slacken. Elvis toasts him as ‘the father of rock’ n’ roll’ and so he seems to have been, nurturing the talents of not only the famous four on stage but subsequently a young Roy Orbison too. Revisiting the territory of one of his greatest triumphs certainly offers a memorable night out.
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