VOICE CHOICE
“A celebration of iconic rock and roll numbers performed with joy, commitment and heart. Some intense and believable dramatic moments of the cutthroat music industry propel this ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ beyond the simple jukebox musical format.”

Near the end of this standing ovation-worthy production of ‘Million Dollar Quartet,’ Carl Perkins tells the group gathered on stage: “Don’t forget what we have all done here tonight.”

To this stellar company now on stage at the Whitby Centennial Building, I certainly won’t forget the joy, the grit and the heart of what you brought to me tonight.

‘Million Dollar Quartet’ recounts the evening of December 4, 1956, at the dingy Sun recording studio in Memphis. Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux’s Book dramatizes the recording session of rock and roll/rockabilly stars Carl Perkins (Griffin Hewitt), Elvis Presley (Liam Lynch), Johnny Cash (Alex Smith) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Shaemus Swets). Sun Records producer Sam Phillips (Jacob James) becomes the story’s narrator as he is the one who brings these four rock music titans together for this one incredible night.

There is also Elvis’s fictional girlfriend, Dyanne (Jessica Wilson). Backup musicians Carl Perkins’ older sister Jay (Summer Kodama) on bass and Fluke Daniel Verdecchia (drums) are keenly along for the ride. Along with a fine musical underscoring, Kodama and Verdecchia constantly listen and watch what’s happening while never upstaging the moment.

Escott and Mutrux probably took some liberties with what occurred on that recording night for theatrical purposes, and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Tweed and Company and Dreamco’s ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ is pure joy and heart, performed with commitment and believability.

Mary Williams (Scenic Painter), Jocelyn Perry (Costume Designer) and Alaynah deKleine (Technical Director, Lighting and Sound Design) magically transport the audience back to 1956. Williams creates a sense of tightness in the space within the studio. The era has been carefully recreated with attention paid to detail in many of the visual items, from Perry’s tight-fitting skirts and blouses, gelled hair, baggy pants and rolled-sleeved short shirts right down to prop items such as the gold records meticulously placed on the back wall. deKleine’s lighting purposefully focuses attention on where it needs to be, especially in those downstage moments when the characters smoke a cigarette and converse outside the studio.

Spoken dialogue can be heard in the auditorium. There were moments when I couldn’t hear all the lyrics. However, that didn’t bother me as I already knew them. It didn’t seem to bother some of the audience sitting around me either, as several nodded their heads in keeping time with the music.

Dreamco Artistic Director Phil Nero directs the production with class, style, and a strong sense of dramatic purpose why this story needs to be told. He keeps the pacing briskly moving along, and it never feels rushed. In his Program Note, he writes that rock and roll’s inception is complicated and, in many ways, unjust. Still, it gave birth to a sound that has been the soundtrack to numerous generations and a foundation for everything that followed. Nero’s assessment is entirely apropos.

The vocal numbers remain terrific under Music Director Peter Aylin’s assured hands. Jessica Wilson’s rendition of ‘Fever’ becomes sultry and sexy. Alex Smith’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ uncannily sounds like Johnny Cash. Liam Lynch’s swivelling and gyrating-hipped Elvis Presley accentuates his apt timing in ‘Hound Dog.’ Shaemus Swets’ rendition of ‘Great Balls of Fire’ as Jerry Lee Lewis smokes the Centennial Theatre stage. Griffin Hewitt’s ‘See You Later Alligator’ comes dangerously close to blowing the roof off the Centennial Building.

And the four-part harmonies in some of the songs! They're perfection to my ears. I closed my eyes, listened, and enjoyed it for a few seconds.

The performances are memorable and unique. Nero and his cast did not merely create carbon copies of these rock and roll giants. Yes, there are hints and shades of some of their trademark moves and looks, but Nero allows his actors to make choices that naturally fit the moment.

Jacob James’ Sam Phillips powerfully conveys a sense of purpose and reason for his belief in the talent of these four artists. James’s Sam has a lot riding on this recording session, namely his reputation as a producer, as he tries to decide what to do regarding what another record company has offered him.

Dressed in black pants, shirt, and shoes, Alex Smith finely captures a brooding Johnny Cash. That becomes intrinsically clear when we learn what’s happening between him and Phillips. Liam Lynch nicely finds that balance in his performance as Elvis Presley. We see the gentlemanly Elvis in the way he behaves with Dyanne. We also see the humble Elvis in the way he speaks about his relationship with his mother and manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The sometimes-simmering tension between Shaemus Swets’ Jerry Lee Lewis and Griffin Hewitt’s Carl Perkins remains taut and suspenseful and never once ventures over the top into histrionics. Swets and Hewitt inherently know when to build the tension. I thought there would have been fisticuffs a couple of times.

Final Thoughts: This opening night performance is an absolute joy. The downside? It’s only running until September 22.

Last night and this morning, I wondered if I should give the production a VOICE CHOICE because it is so good.

Let’s say near the end of the production I knew the answer. Swets and Hewitt physically do something on stage that makes this ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ a VOICE CHOICE.

Please go and see it.

Running time: approximately one hour and fifty minutes with one interval/intermission.

‘Million Dollar Quartet’ runs until September 22 at the Whitby Centennial Building, 416 Centre Street South. For tickets, visit www.dreamcotheatre.com.

TWEED AND COMPANY in co-production with DREAMCO THEATRE present ‘MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET’
Book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

Directed by Phil Nero
Musical Direction: Peter Aylin
Technical Director, Lighting and Sound Design: Alaynah deKleine
Costume Designer: Jocelyn Perry
Scenic Painter and Production Assistant: Mary Williams
Stage Manager: Emily Mewett

Performers: Griffin Hewitt, Jacob James, Summer Kodama, Liam Lynch, Alex Smith, Shaemus Swets, Daniel Verdecchia, Jessica Wilson.