Million Dollar Quartet at the Temple Theatre of Sanford Is a
High-Energy Joyride, Filled with Dynamic Performances

Temple Theatre of Sanford and Rhinoleap Productions of Asheboro's production of Million Dollar Quartet: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins is a high-energy joyride, filled with dynamic performances of everyone's favorite oldies-but-goodies. This hand-clapping, foot-stomping 2010 Broadway, 2011 West End, and 2011 Off-Broadway jukebox musical, with a book co-authored by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, tells the story of a Dec. 4, 1956 jam session at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN, when four up-and-coming young musicians happen to find themselves at the recording studio on the same day and decide to have an impromptu jam session.

Though not all of them had yet to hit it big, you may have heard of them -- Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash! What makes Million Dollar Quartet really special is that it's not a "what if?" fantasy, but based on a remarkable true story. The show dramatizes the jam session, with musical numbers from the original jam session, along with added hits from each artist.

The show intersperses the songs with stories of how each star made his start in the music industry, and makes a point of highlighting the similarities in the four main characters' backgrounds -- each grew up in deep poverty in a former Confederate state in the South, most were born to farmers or sharecroppers, and most experienced serious tragedies in their youth. Throughout the show, these similarities tie them together, despite their being very different men who don't always see eye to eye.

The cast of such a show has big blue suede shoes to fill playing such megawatt stars, and they carry it off with flying colors. As Carl Perkins, Tarif Pappu captures the singer's wild-eyed performing style equally as well as Perkins' intense offstage personality. Pappu truly personified the hungry drive of a man who fought his way from sharecropper to King of Rockabilly, with nothing but a busted guitar and a passion for music.

The wry facial expressions of Zachary Tate's Johnny Cash, Tate's unhurried way of carrying himself and, of course, his rich bass voice were so true to Cash that I found myself seriously wondering whether Temple Theatre had figured out how to using de-aging technology on a live performer. Even when one of his guitar strings broke during the show, Tate seemed to deal with it in the same measured way that the real Cash might.

If Jacob Barton's perfect accent as Elvis Presley wasn't enough to tip you off, his rubber legs left no doubt who he was supposed to be, at one point even seeming to levitate -- while singing! -- balanced only on his toes with a mic for support. Less well-known about the King is his sensitive, shy side, which Barton highlighted wonderfully as Elvis looked to an older mentor for support during a time in his career when he struggled to find his own soon-to-be-iconic voice.

Onstage for nearly the entire show, Hunter Semrau genuinely gave the most energetic performance that I've ever seen as Jerry Lee Lewis. For two hours, Semrau shook, shouted, strutted, and sang his heart out, fully embodying the Real Wild Child that was Lewis as a performer. I guarantee you'll never see a maraca performance as exhilarating as Semrau's.

On that note, I've yet to mention that these four performers not only sing, dance, and act -- they also played guitar and piano like their real-life counterparts, meaning that they not only played them with great talent, but even in the same physical style. (I'm not sure there was any direction or angle from which Semrau did not attack his keys.)

These four powerhouse performances were supported by several other characters. David McClutchey as Sam Phillips -- the visionary founder of Sun Records who discovered all four stars -- hit the biggest emotional beats of the show, deftly portraying the bittersweet conflict of a father figure watching his children grow up and begin to leave him behind.

As Elvis's girlfriend Dyanne, Kasie Buono knocked her featured musical numbers out of the park, while also serving to move the story along both in comedic and poignant ways. Keith Lewis as Brother Jay on bass and Stephen Hambright as Fluke on drums were also present throughout, playing every musical number with energy and bringing real swing to the stage.

Of course, in a musical about musicians, the music is key (no pun intended), and Million Dollar Quartet delivers, thanks in part to musical direction by Jacob Barton (Elvis Presley) and sound design by Patrick Holt. Even if you're not usually a theatergoer, being able to watch live performances of some classic oldies makes this show more than worth it. In fact, because most of the songs in the show are popular, well-known hits, Million Dollar Quartet is a perfect show to share with friends and family, regardless of whether they're fans of musicals in general or prefer the good ol' radio.

Costuming by Peggy Taphorn, who also directed the show, and lighting design by David Castaneda create an authentic feel that takes the performances well beyond "covers" to seem like you're really watching these four greats perform. All in all, Million Dollar Quartet grabs you from the get-go and takes you on a funny, sweet, rock-and-rolling ride that you can bring pretty much anyone to enjoy. Although there's some gyrating (Presley was known as "Elvis the Pelvis," after all), Million Dollar Quartet remains a family-friendly show, making it a good opportunity to please a wide audience, no matter the ages or tastes of your family and friends.

I've seen several shows at Temple Theatre, and I continue to be blown away by the talent, all housed in a lovingly restored historic theater in downtown Sanford. Moreover, what's evident to me is that there's much more than simply talent that makes Million Dollar Quartet (and their other shows) shine -- in every detail and note the performer, staff, and volunteer passion for sharing theater with others comes through.

So, even though this is primarily a review of the show, I also want to slip in a plug for Temple Theatre's summer youth programs as the end of school fast approaches. If you have a child with a flair for the dramatic (and, really, who doesn't?), Temple Theatre offers programming for kids from age 4 up to 18, where they'll learn from top talent and experienced educators as they put on their very own production.

Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux's MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins (In Person at 2 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 7, 11-14, and 18-21), directed by Peggy Taphorn, with music direction by Jacob Barton, and starring Jacob Barton as Elvis Presley, Zachary Tate as Johnny Cash, Hunter Semrau as Jerry Lee Lewis, Tarif Pappu as Carl Perkins, David McClutchey as Sam Phillips, and Kasie Buono as Dyanne, plus Keith Lewis as Brother Jay on bass and Stephen Hambright as Fluke on drums (Temple Theatre of Sanford and Rhinoleap Productions of Asheboro). VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. PRESENTER/VENUE (Temple Theatre): http://templeshows.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TempleTheatreNC, https://www.instagram.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://twitter.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Theatre_(Sanford,_North_Carolina), and https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. 2023-24 MAIN-STAGE SEASON: http://templeshows.com/#mainstage. DIRECTIONS: http://templeshows.com/contact. COVID-19 GUIDELINES: http://templeshows.com/tickets/temple-theatre-covid-guidelines. PRESENTER (Rhinoleap Productions): https://www.rhinoleap.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/RhinoLeap/. MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (Dec. 4, 1956 jam session at Sun Studio in Memphis, featuring Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Quartet. YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWbWRkPDaMo. MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET (2006 Florida, 2007 Washington, 2008 Chicago, 2010 Broadway, 2011 West End, and 2011 Off-Broadway jukebox musical): https://www.milliondollarquartetlive.com/, http://www.ibdb.com/show.php?id=485498, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/5268, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Quartet_(musical). THE SCRIPT: https://katbarrett.com/uploads/7/5/7/2/75728345/mdq_florida_rep_2019_sm_call_script_4.14.19_-_act_1.pdf. STUDY GUIDE (Alabama Shakespeare Festival): https://asf.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/MDQ-study-guide-3.pdf. FLOYD MUTRUX (co-author, original concept, and direction): http://www.ibdb.com/Person/View/485504, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/40549, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0616152/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Mutrux. COLIN ESCOTT (co-author): http://www.ibdb.com/Person/View/485503, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/40548, and https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1660892/. ELVIS PRESLEY (Tupelo,MS-born singer and songwriter, nee Elvis Aaron Presley, 1935-77): http://www.elvis.com/, https://www.elvisthemusic.com/, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/elvis-presley, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000062/, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley. JERRY LEE LEWIS (Ferriday, LA-born singer and songwriter, 1935-2022): http://www.jerryleelewis.com/, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/jerry-lee-lewis, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507350/, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lee_Lewis. CARL PERKINS (Tiptonville, TN-born singer and songwriter, nee Carl Lee Perkins, 1932-98): https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/carl-perkins, http://www.rockabillyhall.com/CarlPerkins.html, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0673897/, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Perkins. JOHNNY CASH (Kingsland, AR-born singer and songwriter, nee John R. Cash, 1932-2003): http://www.johnnycash.com/, http://www.johnnycashonline.com/ https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/johnny-cash, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143599/, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash. NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and a hearing-loop system is available for all devices with T-coil wireless receivers. TICKETS: $32 ($17 students and $29 active-duty military personnel and Lee County educators), plus taxes and fees, except $27 per person for groups of 10 or more. Click here to buy tickets. GROUP RATES (10+ tickets): http://templeshows.com/tickets#id-928. INFORMATION: 919-774-4155 or boxoffice@templeshows.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Temple Theatre of Sanford.

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