James Barry News

Stephen Sater's world premiere play isn't setting the world on fire at Chester, but strong cast keeps the tinder lit

It's true that on December 4, 1956, Sun Records was host to an incredible meeting of four gentleman (Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis) who would go on to lay the foundation for Rock 'n' Roll, but a listen to the actual recording made that day prove that it was a much simpler affair than what's presented in the stage musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. Still, the inspiration that story provides (book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux) makes for a rockin' good time, and this award-winning show is fun from start to finish.

At last, the time our loyal CTC friends have been waiting for: the official announcement of our 2013 season! We are very excited to be kicking off this summer with the World Premiere of ARMS ON FIRE by Steven Sater with music by Duncan Sheik - the creators of the Tony Award-Winning Spring Awakening!

Broadway in New Orleans presents the national tour of the Broadway musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, inspired by an electrifying true story.

You may see some construction around Downtown Austin next week, because the National Tour of Million Dollar Quartet just blew the roof off of the Bass Concert Hall. The show, a rollicking 110 minute salute to iconic, classic rock and rollers, seems almost tailor made for Austin, the live music capitol of the world. The only thing louder than the music is the screams and hollers from the crowd.

If the Majestic Theatre is a-rockin', you better come a-knockin'! MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET just kicked off an 8-performance in San Antonio.

The international Tony Award Winning musical, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is set on December 4, 1956, when an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. Sam Phillips, the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll" who was responsible for launching the careers of each icon, brought the four legendary musicians together at the Sun Records storefront studio in Memphis for the first and only time. The resulting evening became known as one of the greatest rock 'n' roll jam sessions in history.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the smash-hit musical inspired by the famed recording session that brought together rock 'n' roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time. This thrilling musical brings you inside the recording studio with four major talents who came together as a red-hot rock 'n' roll band for one unforgettable night.

Million Dollar Quartet is difficult to categorize. Billed as a musical, it is unlike almost any musical playing because it takes place over an extremely short time span and features a small cast of characters. The show, which tells of a recording session at Sam Phillips' Sun Records featuring Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins, feels more like a concert because the musical numbers do not comment on the plot or characters. One thing is certain, when Million Dollar Quartet stopped in Des Moines last week, audiences were dancing in the aisles.

The national tour of the Broadway musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, inspired by the electrifying true story, will make its St. Louis premiere April 22 - May 5 at The Fabulous Fox Theatre as part of the U.S. Bank Broadway Series.

On Saturday, March 23, 7:30pm, composer Zach Redler and librettist Sara Cooper, the creative team behind next month's musical 'The Memory Show' at the Duke Theater, will premiere their latest work 'Windows' featuring singers Sumayya Ali (The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess) and Etai BenShlomo (Wicked). Part of AOP (American Opera Projects) and Opera on Tap's new music series, 'OPERAtion Brooklyn' the 40-minute staged song-cycle will be followed by excerpts from two new operas - Decoration and Smashed. The performances will take place on multiple floors of ART-NY's South Oxford Space (138 S. Oxford St., Brooklyn 11217) in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Tickets are $20, available at www.operationbrooklyn.com. The evening will run 1 hour, thirty minutes.

In recent years, many theatre purists have derided the trend of Broadway jukebox musicals, but 'Million Dollar Quartet', currently playing at the Fox Theatre, takes the best of all aspects of the genre, fusing the emotional reality of 'Jersey Boys' with the infectious joy of 'Smokey Joe's Cafe', to create a show that is part theatre and part rock and roll super concert.

On Saturday, March 23, 7:30pm, AOP (American Opera Projects) and Opera on Tap will present a new installment of their acclaimed series, 'OPERAtion Brooklyn' a semi-annual festival that highlights Brooklyn as the cultural epicenter for progressive works of opera and classical music. Audiences will be guided around multiple floors of ART-NY's South Oxford Space (138 S. Oxford St., Brooklyn 11217) in Fort Greene, Brooklyn to hear music from new operas by local talents Mikael Karlsson, James Barry and Zach Redler. Tickets are $20, available at www.operationbrooklyn.com. The evening will run 1 hour, thirty minutes.

There's a "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" at the Palace Theatre. That magic night in December 1956 is recreated when Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley came together for an impromptu jam session. It's no surprise they were dubbed "The MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET!"

The night Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis jammed at Sun Records is brought on stage at Hershey by director Eric Schaeffer

Broadway in New Orleans announces tickets will go on sale Friday, Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. for the national tour of the Broadway musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, inspired by an electrifying true story. Ticket prices start as low as $32 and will be available at the Mahalia Jackson Theater Box Office, BroadwayInNewOrleans.com, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1.800.982.2787 (ARTS). Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling 504.287.0372.

From its very first notes, 'Million Dollar Quartet' is clearly no run-of-the-mill jukebox musical. The show serves both as a time capsule and a time machine, taking a nostalgic look back at the emergence of rock ‘n' roll in the late 1950s and, specifically, recreating a legendary moment in the history of the genre.

The national tour of the Broadway musical MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, inspired by the electrifying true story, will make its Providence premiere tonight, January 15 - 20, 2013 at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) as part of theTaco/The White Family Foundation Broadway Series.

It's 1956 and Carl Perkins (Connecticut native James Barry) is trying to record 'Matchbox,' the song he hopes will put him back at the top of the charts. Providing some distraction during the recording session (and adding to the music), however, are showoff Jerry Lee Lewis (Benjamin Goddard) and legends Johnny Cash (David Elkins) and Elvis Presley (Billy Woodward).