Million Dollar Quartet celebrates the glory of rock 'n' roll
Inspired by the 1956 jam session of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, director Bobby Garcia’s take turns a new lens on the jukebox musical
Million Dollar Quartet. Photo by David Cooper
The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Million Dollar Quartet from June 22 to August 6 at the Granville Island Stage
VANCOUVER DIRECTOR BOBBY GARCIA came to develop a love of music naturally: his father founded the first FM radio station in the Philippines in the 1960s. So it’s no wonder the artist didn’t skip a beat when the opportunity arose for him to helm the Arts Club Theatre’s upcoming production of Million Dollar Quartet. The rock musical is inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins and the legendary jam session the four icons had when they were still (mostly) early in their careers. It was December 4, 1956 when they all wound up at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
Having opened on Broadway in 2010, the jukebox musical is loaded with classic tracks, such as “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “That’s Alright”, and “Folsom Prison Blues,” to name just a few. The Arts Club mounted the show in 2016-17 to huge success, while Garcia’s take for 2023 is completely new.
It’s the kind of subject matter that’s in his veins.
“I was born into music,” Garcia says in an interview with Stir. “I don’t remember a time in my life that music wasn’t a strong presence. Other than growing up listening to the singers from his [Garcia’s father’s] era, the music I grew up listening to were the songs of Linda Ronstadt, the Beatles, Barbra Streisand, The Carpenters, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and Olivia Newton-John. The soundtrack of my life is really the music of the ’70s and early ’80s. When I listen to those songs I enter a safe space that takes me far away from this awkward transitional period that the world is going through at the moment.
“What drew me to Million Dollar Quartet was the opportunity to be able to remind people of how glorious rock and roll is,” Garcia adds, “how it has deep cultural roots, how a queer Black woman named Sister Rosetta Tharpe rebelled against the norms and brought an electric guitar into church and really planted the seed for what would become rock and roll. How these four iconic singers made the music their own by tapping into their own unique sound. And how rock and roll continues to evolve and will forever be a part of the musical landscape in one form or another. It really reminds us about the importance of rock and roll.”
Bobby Garcia.
Based on the book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux with original concept and direction by Mutrux, The Arts Club’s rendition gets up close and personal with the artists. Garcia, who has directed more than 50 plays and musicals in Canada and all across Asia, has approached the production through a new lens, quite literally.
“TV was exploding, just as much as rock and roll was at this time,” Garcia explains. “Many felt that they were both dangerous and would lead to the corruption of the youth. I wanted to bring the lens of a TV camera into the production. What if we could see, through a TV lens, what Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records, saw in these four men. What if we could see their musicality up close the way Sam Phillips saw it. So, while the show is still the same in form [as the original], it has an extra element to it that I hope brings a new and different energy to the musical.”
Playing Elvis Presley is Stephen Thakkar; Jerry Lee Lewis is played by Mateo Chavez Lewis; Carl Perkins has the role of Felix LeBlanc; and Tanner Zerr plays Johnny Cash. Also appearing are John Bews as Jay Perkins, Jay Clift as Sam Phillips, Nick Fontaine as W.S “Fluke” Holland, and Emma Pedersen as Dyanne (the character based on Elvis’s short-term girlfriend at the time of the epic musical gathering). Ben Brown is standby.
“All performers in this show are phenomenal,” Garcia says. “They are so unique and distinct. Some are actor-musicians, some are primarily actors, and some are primarily musicians. But they all come together seamlessly as one, and it is a thrill to see. The show is about four iconic performers in their early days on the brink of unfathomable success. In many ways, that’s the same feeling I get from the cast. Many are just about to break out as stars in the Canadian musical theatre landscape, and I can’t wait to see that happen.”
Contributing to the show’s electric but down-to-earth feel are choreography by Nicol Spinola and costume design by Alaia Hamer. What the production is not is a Las Vegas tribute show.
“The hardest part about this show is that while there is choreography, it can’t feel choreographed,” Garcia says. “Nicol has done a wonderful job making sure that everyone on stage is an individual with their own physical language. The costumes Alaia has created are really smart and effective. The story takes place before they skyrocket to major success, for the most part, and we wanted to make sure that both choreography and costumes stayed in that ‘early days’ world.”
The music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins stands the test of time. Even in the era of TikTok, computer-created scores, and AI-powered music generators, there’s no denying the appeal of Million Dollar Quartet in the here and now. The reason, according to Garcia?
“Nostalgia,” he says. “I read somewhere that when we go through difficult periods or periods of great transition, nostalgia becomes one of our greatest tools. It makes us feel safe. And that all will be well. I hope that this show does that for the audiences. It’s a wonderful space to be able to create for people who need it.
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