The Tony® Award Winning musical “Million Dollar Quartet” held its official opening at Harrah’s Las Vegas with a red carpet opening. The smash-hit production is inspired by the true story of the fateful evening on Dec. 4, 1956, that brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together for one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll jam sessions in history. The show is jam packed with nostalgic hits that each artist made famous such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Walk the Line,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Hound Dog” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” and many more tunes that the four singers made at Sun Records storefront studio in Memphis under the tutelage of Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
The talented cast in Las Vegas includes: Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins; Benjamin D. Hale as Johnny Cash; Martin Kaye, the one cast member carried over from the summer tour that visited The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, as Jerry Lee Lewis; Tyler Hunter as Elvis Presley; and Marc D. Donovan as Sam Phillips. They are joined on stage by Felice Garcia as Dyanne, Mikey Hachey as bass player Jay Perkins and drummer Jim Belk as Fluke.
Notable names in attendance opening night included famed guitarist Esteban and his violinist daughter Teresa Joy, Holly Madison, 2011 Playboy Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair, Professional BMX Rider and MTV Tr3s Personality Ricardo Laguna, comediennes Rita Rudner and Kathleen Dunbar, MLB Hall of Famer Orel Hershiser, dance crew Jabbawockeez, singer-comic-impressionist Rick Michel, and owner of Bratalian and Meatball Spot Chef Carla Pellegrino.
Being in a hotel, the show, which is on an open-ended contract, is cut down and intermission-free unlike its longer Broadway counterpart. The set is a facsimile of the Sun studio and the talent is singing and playing live music. The iconic photo taken at the historic scene brings the show to a resounding conclusion that signals the start of four-song encore with the audience on their feet grooving to the music.
“Million Dollar Quartet” is performed in the Harrah’s Showroom Thursday – Tuesday at 7 p.m., with an additional performance at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday. Ticket prices range from $69 to $94, visit Ticketmaster.com or call 702-369-5111.
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