A Revelation in Rock and Roll; The Million Dollar Quartet

Lilly Thomey

Million Dollar Quartet

From the first few strums of that electric guitar to the very last, dramatic beats of the bass drum, my foot was tapping the whole time. This musical not only successfully explained a historic story but gave you the feel that you were at a high class concert. I loved this musical. On Tuesday, March 27th, at 7:30, I arrived at the State Theatre with no excitement towards seeing the show. I respected who these big name people were but I did not think that a whole musical centered around them would be worth seeing. But I was proven wrong. This story was not about has been rock and rollers but about how four great musicians came together for a one night spectacular. The setting was Sun Records where Mr. Sam Phillips welcomed in some of his favorite works. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins were all there on December 4th, 1956. All of them had not seen each other in a while and there was some tension in the room between Presley and Perkins, about the song "Blue Suede Shoes." Also the newbie of the group, Jerry Lee Lewis, was a little spit fire and all that night was getting on everyones nerves. But that was not the whole show. The show was set by the view of Mr. Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records, and told in the way of how he found them and brought them up to be rock and roll icons.

Of all the actors and roles they portrayed I found that Sam Phillips or Christopher Ryan Grant was the best. He was confident in his role and even though he had a few slip ups in his lines, those did not take away from his outstanding performance. The musical aspect of the show was unbelievable as well. I noticed that the majority of the musical was filled with song after song and I prefer it that way.

The look of the show was that of a recording studio. It felt very intimate, kinda like you were right there in the recording studio with the greats. The lights really added a lot to the show, as well. The lights would dim or change color to accommodate the mood or accent a certain person in a certain scene. And finally the costumes were very impressive like when at the very end they came on for a encore with bedazzled suit coats. The four of them each had a different color and when the light hit their jackets, small beams of light bounced around the room.

Overall this show was fantastic. I would recommend this show to old people, young people, and those very unique people. This show is for everyone. If you love music and the classics this show is also for you.