Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Florida Rep is Refreshing and Rhythmic!

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Florida Repertory Theatre, directed by Jason Parrish, brings to life some of the most iconic voices in music history, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis, in a high-energy, fantastically fun show.

The cast included Joe Boover as Elvis Presley, Gregg Hammer as Johnny Cash, Jeremy Sevelovitz as Carl Perkins, and Brady Wease as Jerry Lee Lewis, plus Brendan Powers as Sam Phillips, Julie Kavanagh as Dyanne, Daniel Bailey as Brother Jay, and David Sonneborn as Fluke. This entire cast was incredible; each member of the "million dollar quartet" more than did justice to the musical icons they were portraying. Individually they were excellent, but when they would come together and harmonize at various parts of the show (along with Kavanagh's Dyanne), those moments were something extra special.

Though some aspects of the show's plot were a bit bittersweet as Sam Phillips was losing a couple of the men from Sun Records, overall it was absolute fun. Wease's portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis was especially hilarious; he had phenomenal charisma and made even the subtlest gestures perfectly in character. His interactions with the rest of the actors were so amusing to watch. Wease is returning to Florida Rep after being one of their 2016-17 acting interns, and it's incredibly evident why he is playing this role in this production.

The set of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET was bright and very lively, which I really enjoyed. The style of it was perfectly fitting for the show; Sun Records Studio was brought to life on the Florida Rep stage, thanks to Set Designer Jordan Moore.

I absolutely recommend seeing MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET while it's playing at Florida Rep. This show is full of many classic, well-known songs, such as "Hound Dog" and "Great Balls of Fire," and the production quality is truly unbeatable. I promise you will have a fantastic time and do a "Whole Lotta Shakin'" at this musical, merry show.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is playing in Florida Rep's Historic Arcade Theatre now through April 21. Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at 7 PM, Friday-Saturday at 8 PM, with 2 PM matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. To buy tickets, you can visit www.floridarep.org, call Florida Rep at 239-332-4488, or stop by the box office at 2268 Bay Street, Fort Myers, FL, 33901.

Photo Credit: Joseph Herrera/Joe Dafeldecker