Million Dollar Quartet
1 Hour and 40 Minutes, with no intermission
Million Dollar Quartet - 2010 Broadway History , Info & More
Nederlander Theatre (Broadway)
208 W. 41st St. New York, NY 10036
On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records' storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll," who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET features a treasure trove of the greatest rock 'n' roll, gospel, R&B and country hits from these music legends, including such iconic songs as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Fever," "Sixteen Tons," "Who Do You Love?," "Great Balls of Fire," "Riders in the Sky," "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On." MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET captures the infectious spirit, freewheeling excitement and thrilling sounds of a singular moment when four of the music industry's most extraordinary talents, all in their creative prime, came together for one of the most memorable nights in music history.
Million Dollar Quartet - 2010 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Million Dollar Quartet
Million Dollar Quartet
3 / 10
Unfortunately, almost the last thing that Million Dollar Quartet feels like is an impromptu jam session. What it is, instead, is a musical drama—albeit one lacking in suspense, since we know before it starts how it will come out—about Sam Phillips, presented here as the founding pioneer of rock & roll, and how the 'boys' whom he nurtured to fame one by one abandon him. Interspersed throughout this drama are the songs of the jam session, often played in snippets so that the story can play out literally between verses. (For example, 'Great Balls of Fire,' the climax of the session in this musical, is interrupted twice by Phillips's soliloquizing.) Because the narrative is constructed so snugly around and within the songs, and because the performances are glitzily polished (as one would indeed expect at a Broadway musical charging $125+ for tickets), spontaneity is pretty much vanquished from the proceedings. And of course spontaneity would seem to be the precise feeling that the creators of this show ought to be going for if they want to re-create the unplanned brilliance of that famous evening.
Peter Marks reviews Broadway debut of 'Million Dollar Quartet'
9 / 10
The musicianship sells this entertainment. If the rockabilly rhythms of Perkins or the proto-rocker antics of Lewis don't set your heart to palpitating, then 'Million Dollar Quartet' will be lost on you. The calculation is that fans of early rock-and-roll and idolaters of Presley and Cash are of an age and economic level to fill the Nederlander's pews. And for them, the musical will feel at times like a throbbing worship service.
Million Dollar Quartet History
Other Productions of Million Dollar Quartet
| 2010 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2011 | West End |
Original London Production West End |
| 2011 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Transfer Off-Broadway |
| 2011 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
Million Dollar Quartet - 2010 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Drama Desk Awards | utstanding Musical Revue | Million Dollar Quartet |
| 2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Levi Kreis |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Colin Escott |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Floyd Mutrux |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Relevant Theatricals |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | John Cossette Productions |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | American Pop Anthology |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Broadway Across America |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | James L. Nederlander |
| 2010 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Levi Kreis |
Videos