Interview: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET'S Evan Buckley Harris on Playing Johnny Cash and April 3 Shows at Warner Theatre

Evan Buckley Harris is no stranger to the stage, taking on lead roles in regional productions of MEMPHIS (Huey Calhoun), SOUTH PACIFIC (Lt. Joe Cable), ALL SHOOK UP (Chad) and WILL ROGERS FOLLIES (Will Rogers), as well as being a talented musician, with opera credits and concert credits in New York and Los Angeles. On April 3rd, 2016, he will continue his run as "Man in Black" Johnny Cash in MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. Mr. Harris graciously took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about playing the legendary Cash and what audiences should expect on April 3rd.

Here's the exchange:

How does it feel to be playing one of the biggest rock n' roll legends in history?

It has been an unbelievable experience so far to be playing Johnny Cash...And also an incredible learning experience for me as a performer. Prior to being cast in the role, I honestly didn't know a lot about Johnny as a person. In modern day society, too many people associate Johnny with drugs and alcohol, which is too bad because he was really a kind-hearted, standup man. He had his challenges no doubt, but what I want people to remember after seeing the show is that he overcame those struggles and became a well-respected great person. He not only created a wonderful foundation for rock n' roll & country music, but inspired so many artists after him to do great things. So an answer to that question- It feels great and just surreal to get on stage every night and play this role. I get to have a tiny taste of what the Man in Black himself felt on stage, and that is something I won't ever have again after this tour.

Is it challenging to get into character?

After over 100 shows (we reached our 100th show in Dallas, TX) I can happily say it is not difficult to get into character anymore because it is SO in my body. At the beginning stages of this production in Florida, it was a big challenge. The challenge now is finding new things to bring to the table- how would Johnny handle this situation? Would Johnny be mad at Sam Phillips in this moment or would he understand and let it go? It's also finding new interactions with the people on stage, and thinking about how Johnny would've talked to each one of them differently, and then adjusting my inflections and such accordingly. The biggest challenge now is keeping everything honest- It's easy to take these characters and make them imitations or caricatures of the idolized version most people know. We aim to show you what they were like in 1956.

What have you enjoyed most about the role and what have you found most difficult about playing the role?

The thing I have enjoyed most about playing Cash has been seeing the audiences reactions and hearing what they have to say after the show. It's so incredibly rewarding to be able to take people back to when they listened to and saw these guys live in concert. It's also been really great to see younger college crowds really getting into this music during the show. I would say the most difficult part about playing Johnny Cash has again, been making it honest and not turning the performance into an imitation of this person or making him a caricature of the idolized version that people know now.

What might we expect from watching this production?

Expect to come rock out! Also expect to come have an inside look of what all these guys were like in 1956, which is something most people are not used to seeing. There is really something for everybody in the show, whether you like musical theater or not, you will enjoy the music because they are all songs that you've most likely heard before. For the audience members who are more into the hidden tracks of these artists, we also bring a lot of gospel tunes and hymns into the show, which started all of these artists' careers.

Are there differences between the show and what happened on that historical day in 1956?

The show stays pretty accurate to the events that occurred that night of December 4th, 1956. The only difference, funny enough, is the fact that Johnny Cash is so prominent in the show. That night in 1956, it was never confirmed as to whether Johnny Cash was there the entire night or not. You can listen to the entire recording of the actual "Million Dollar Quartet" on YouTube or iTunes, and Johnny's voice only shows up in a couple of songs. The show really does a great job of shedding light on the altercation that happened between Cash and Sam Phillips which you will see when you come to our show, although this did not actually happen that night at Sun Studios in 1956.

Finally, what¹s your favorite song to sing and/or perform from the show?

I gotta say "Folsom Prison Blues" is my favorite- It introduces Johnny Cash to the audience and really gets everybody going, especially if you are a big Cash fan. In my opinion, this is as close as it gets to what it would really be like to be front row at a Johnny Cash concert. Later in Johnny's career, he ended up touring with Carl Perkins and this number really highlights THAT so well. We look forward to seeing you at the show!

Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes, no intermission.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET will play at the Warner Theatre - 513 13th Street, NW in Washington, DC - on Sunday, April 3rd at 3:00 PM and at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased online, by stopping at the box office located at 13th Street between E and F Streets, NW, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-551-7328.

Photo Credit: Jessica Redden and Evan Buckley Harris.

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