Saturday, April 24, 2010

Broadway Theater Review: Million Dollar Quartet

An Incredible Jam Session—Then and Now
By Lauren Yarger
Levi Kreis tickles some unbelievable ivories as Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet, a rockin’ and rollin’ good time at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.

Kreis received a Jeff Award as best supporting actor for the role he originated in the Chicago run of the show, and once you’ve experienced his gravity-defying keyboarding, you won’t wonder why.

He’s joined by Robert Britton Lyons (Carl Perkins), Lance Guest (Johnny Cash) and Eddie Clendening (Elvis Presley) in the story based on a true legendary 1956 jam session of the four music legends.

They all end up at Sun Records in Memphis. Lewis hopes his will be the next one launched into stardom by owner Sam Phillips (Hunter Foster). Phillips, who already regrets having sold Presley’s contract to another recording company, isn’t focused on Lewis, though, or on Perkins, who has seen Presley replace him at the top of the charts. Phillips goal is to get Cash to sign an extension of his contract.

The musical’s book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux (who provided the concept and original direction), doesn’t try to offer much more plot than that, except to add Dyanne (Elizabeth Stanley), a girlfriend for Presley, who wants a singing career too. The thrust of the show comes instead from the music: 23 gospel, R&B and country hits performed by the quartet (and some by Dyanne).

Kreis, who contributed additional arrangements (Chuck Mead arranged and supervised the music), is sensational, burning up the piano and giving an in-depth portrayal to Lewis as a hammy and egocentric guy. Lyons portrays the jealous Perkins well and Guest, while not exuding a lot of personality, lends a nice sounding voice to Cash’s tunes (making them sound better than the off-key Cash. Clendening is miscast, however, and neither sounds nor looks like Elvis.

Foster, as the sharp legend maker, stumbles around for his lines from time to time, and unfortunately, doesn’t get to sing any songs of his own.

Directed by Eric Schaeffer, the show has some awkward pauses after musical segments when dialogue begins where the audience tries to applaud. Besides Kreis, the show’s other stars are Howell Binkley’s lighting which transforms Derek McLane’s recreation of the recording studio into a rock concert and Kai Harada’s sound design which allows us to hear individual notes as well as full volume rock without popping eardrums.

This fun blast from the past is just 90 minutes long and features a post-curtain-call jam session with the quartet showing off their acumen on their instruments that’s almost worth the price of the ticket itself.

Million Dollar Quartet plays at the Nederlander, 208 W. 41st St., NYC. For tickets call 212-307-4100; Outside NY/NJ/CT: 800-755-4000.

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Gracewell Prodiuctions

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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