Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Casa Manana

Fort Worth audiences are sure to delight with Casa Mañana's newly open Million Dollar Quartet. This production, originally directed by the Tony-nominated Hunter Foster, brightens up the feel-good story of the night four music legends all decided to hang out. Quartet focuses on one night in December of 1956, when Elvis Presley, Carl Jenkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis are all brought together by the "Father of Rock and Roll", Sam Phillips at the historic Sun Records recording studio. The show is more a musical revue than a narrative, each icon performs classic rockabilly hits, with a few personal conflicts arising amongst them between songs. The tunes are clearly a throwback with roots audiences in DFW are sure to love, when combined with an energetic cast and a space like Casa, Quartet become a fun-filled, intimate Jam session of approximately 300 people.

The show itself is a little tricky, as the cast has to "walk the line" between impersonators and actors (see what I did there?), but the clearly experienced small ensemble knows how to be just referential enough without getting tacky. Sam Phillips, here played by Casa vet Bob Hess acts as an Emcee of sorts as the evening kicks off, and with his maneuvering, it doesn't stop. John Michael Presney is our first encounter as Carl Perkins, and while he doesn't exactly resemble the guitarist, his voice and musicianship do not disappoint. In fact, none of the "Quartet" actually resemble their characters all that much - aside from the requisite hairstyles - but perhaps that's what makes it work. Sean McGibbson as Jerry Lee Lewis is an energetic firecracker, literally jumping around the stage and somehow managing to play the piano truly like his character. His antics steal nearly every scene. Christopher Damiano as Johnny Cash is fun, and though his restrained baritone and solemn presence might draw less attention than others, when he steps down center and brings out "Ring of Fire" and other hits, the Fort Worth crowd goes nuts. Trent Rowland's Elvis Presley, again, while not really a physical likeness, is a joy - he has clearly studied the voice and moves of the "King" himself. Alyssa Gardner as Dyanne, Elvis's girlfriend at the time, is surprising - Gardner may be petite, but her voice is not.

Aside from a few dialect slips here and there, the cast as a whole brings these icons to life, and amidst their jam session (and I do mean that, they really seem to be enjoying every moment on stage together) the audience forgets the pretense of the stage and feels right there with them.

Technically, every show at Casa is going to be something cool to look at. The space itself, with its Epcot-like dome, will always lend itself to a unique visual experience. Quartet asks for little in the way of set, though the space manages to remain both intimate on the thrust stage and interesting to look at amongst the subtle clutter (Josh Smith). Lighting Design by Samuel Rushen (Associate Clayton Neves) fills the rather large space with definition and color, differentiating the scenes and narrative stuck in only one room. The sound design in the space was a little hindered, as the acoustics inside a metalloid dome are not exactly the friendliest, and from my seats, some sound was a lost or overblown, with only a few mic cues dropped here and there. Overall, given the challenges of the space, Quartet's tech was more than solid.

Casa's Million Dollar Quartet is not at all your standard musical - but that is why it works. The actors clearly have fun literally rocking out on stage every night, and judging by the audience members literally dancing in the aisles during the Encore section of the show, I'd say Fort Worth will love it too. Million Dollar Quartet runs at Casa Mañana through November 13th. For more information check Ticketmaster or www.casamanana.org.

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