Million Dollar Quartet at HCT

I had a lot of trepidation when I found out that HCT was reopening after the Covid-19 lockdown. They had some safety protocols in place, such as requiring patrons to wear masks and the use of contactless ticketing, but they were still seating patrons shoulder to shoulder and that gave me pause so I requested (and received) a refund for my ticket to Mary Poppins. However, I eventually made the decision to use my ticket to Million Dollar Quartet last night and I am so glad that I did! I saw the Broadway touring production of this show several years ago so I knew that it would be a lot of fun and I think fun is something that we all need right now. On December 4, 1956, an impromptu jam session took place at the Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, involving Jerry Lee Lewis (David Paul Smith), Carl Perkins (Bryan Matthew Hague), Johnny Cash (Benjamin D. Hale), and Elvis Presley (Michael D. Potter). Sam Phillips (Bryan Dayley), the owner of Sun Records, recorded the session and dubbed them the "Million Dollar Quartet." The show, based on this actual event, begins with Phillips recounting how each of the musicians were discovered and signed to Sun Records as they arrive at the studio. There is a loose narrative interspersed between the musical numbers about the rivalries between the musicians and future of Sun Records but what makes this show so great is the aforementioned performances of some of the best known music in rock and roll including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Real Wild Child," "Matchbox," "Who Do You Love?," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Fever," "Memories Are Made of This," "That's All Right," "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," "Down By the Riverside," "Sixteen Tons," "My Babe," "Long Tall Sally," "Peach in the Valley," "I Walk the Line," "I Hear You Knocking," "Party," and "Great Balls of Fire." The show ends with individual performances by each of the musicians:  "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley, "Ghost Riders" by Johnny Cash, "See You Later Alligator" by Carl Perkins, and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis. There was definitely a whole lotta shakin' goin' on in the theater as the audience danced in the aisles during these songs! It was so much fun! The cast also includes studio musicians Jay (Isaac Erickson) on bass and Fluke (Todd Mitchell, who looks like he is having the time of his life) on drums, as well as Elvis Presley's girlfriend Dyanne (Brigitta Teuscher).  In my opinion, Smith, Hague, Hale, and Potter are absolutely phenomenal because they play their own instruments and sound just like the musicians they are portraying.  I especially enjoyed Potter's swiveling hips as Elvis and Smith's exuberant piano playing (even behind his back!) as Jerry Lee Lewis. My favorite singer in this group is Johnny Cash so I absolutely loved "Folsom Prison Blues" and I may or may not have have sung along (one advantage of wearing a mask is that your neighbors don't know that you are the one singing). The minimal set depicts the real Sun Records recording studio and the costumes are informed by a photograph of the actual recording session (which is projected on the LED screens around the theater at the end of the show) so it feels very authentic, almost like being transported back to this era. It is a great production and I highly recommend it!  Million Dollar Quartet runs through October 24 on the HCT Main Stage (go here for tickets).

Note:  I wish that, like other performing arts venues around Utah, there had been more social distancing in the seating arrangement but I was happy to see that the ushers were very vigilant in making sure that masks were worn throughout the whole performance.