Rock ‘n roll’s not only alive but kickin’ -- maybe more than ever -- in Sarasota, thanks to the Million Dollar Quartet. Florida Studio Theater becomes Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, for the musically historic night of December 4, 1956, when icons-to-be recorded together. There’s high voltage electricity in the performances of Elvis Presley, dropping in after a youthful Las Vegas disaster; Jerry Lee Lewis, a brash newcomer looking for a permanent job and a meantime cash stake; Johnny Cash, sorrowing because he’s not able to sign a new Sun contract, and Carl Perkins, wishing he could have avoided going to Columbia with Cash. To put the gig in place, as Sun’s owner Sam Phillips, Joe Ditmeyer skillfully interweaves narratives of the past with attempts to make the present solidify the future. Despite its elements of story, Million Dollar Quartet,/I> is essentially a jukebox musical. Because it presents such all-time hits as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog,” “I Walk the Line,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison,” “Down By the Riverside,” and “Peace in the Valley”, it doesn’t have to worry much about plot. The show’s essential idea comes through at its very start: young country-type guys from poor backgrounds each had his rich talents discovered and given a chance by Phillips at Sun. When they met up at the studio that one night, they collaborated on a now-historic record. It, along with individual performances and career circumstances that preceded it, are re-created for today’s audience. At FST, Ben Williams‘s songwriter Carl Perkins amazes as a rockabilly musician. He’s phenomenal at moving actually as well as metaphorically via his virtuosity on electric guitar. He equally succeeds at dramatics and brief use of a harmonica. Brandlyn Day makes complicated physical movements an amazing part of Jerry Lee Lewis’s piano technique, without ever losing breath control for emphatic vocals. Joe Casey gives dignity to Johnny Cash and the lyrics he sings so well. His religiosity comes over as genuine. Though Joe Boover seems a bit thin as Elvis, even if early in his career, he fills out the role hip-swiveling, twisting, manipulating his guitar authentically. Michelle Pruiett is the romantic interest he’s brought along and, though she sings “Fever” okay, she basically cavorts around like a cheerleader. Kroy Presley not only makes his big bass rock, a few times downstage, but he is a supportive personality as Carl Perkins’s brother Joe. Hunter Brown supplies hearty percussion. They join prominently in a staged encore with the whole cast performing their hearts out. It’s icing on the very tasty cake that director Jason Cannon has prepared to perfection. Everything’s served up on an authentic Sun Studio set by Jeff Dean, though I suspect Michael Jarett’s lighting is better than what was originally available. Ryan Kilcourse’s sound system works admirably. Linda Patterson’s costumes pass scrutiny throughout. Boomers at FST at opening applauded in record decibels. Still, I think even millennials will appreciate Million Dollar Quartet.
