“Million Dollar Quartet” was inspired by the true story of an impromptu jam session that happened at Sun Records’ studio in Memphis on a December afternoon in 1956. It's playing through Feb. 14 at the Music & Arts Community Center in Fort Myers.
“Sam Phillips was recording Carl Perkins and his band, and Jerry Lee Lewis comes by, and then Johnny Cash swings by to visit, and then Elvis Presley and a girlfriend come in to visit,” noted Southwest Florida Theatre’s music director, Julie Beardon Carver. “There were actually three hours of recordings made that day where they just jam - everything from snippets of hymns to bluegrass and country and portions of their new material.”
The musical fuses heart-pounding live performance with rich storytelling, capturing the raw energy, ambition, and camaraderie of four young artists on the brink of superstardom.
“Who wouldn't want to see that?” Carver asked. “It's a great show. It's all your favorite music.”
Whether you grew up with these songs or are discovering them for the first time, “Million Dollar Quartet” is an exhilarating, toe-tapping journey that recreates the birth of rock ’n’ roll.
The musical runs Jan. 28 through Feb. 14.
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Million Dollar Quartet is a high-octane celebration of a moment that changed music history forever. Audiences are treated to an unforgettable soundtrack packed with rock-and-roll, gospel, blues, and country classics, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Hound Dog,” “I Walk the Line,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”
“’Million Dollar Quartet’ is a fan favorite,” Carver said. “We all love ‘Million Dollar Quartet.’ I saw the original show on Broadway and fell in love with the whole concept, so when Andrew [Kurtz] said we would be doing ‘Million Dollar Quartet,’ I got very excited.”
Performed live by an onstage band, the music isn’t just accompaniment—it is the show, delivering the thrill of a concert with the intimacy of great theater.
Beyond the hits, Million Dollar Quartet offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the artists as people: their dreams, doubts, rivalries, and shared roots. It’s a story about friendship and faith, artistic risk and cultural revolution, and the moment when American popular music found its voice.
Fast-paced, funny, and deeply moving, the musical appeals equally to theater lovers, classic-rock fans, and anyone who has ever felt the power of music to change lives.
Teddy Grey plays Elvis Presley, Tyler Breeding is Johnny Cash, Steven Lasiter is Carl Perkins and Mitchell Wiley is Jerry Lee Lewis. They were chosen from more than 300 performers who applied to audition for the roles.
Christopher Wren directs; Julie Beardon Carver is music director; Dr. Andrew M. Kurtz produces.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
