ON STAGE: “Million Dollar Quartet,” “The Meeting”
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –
All of you, classical rock aficionados, rejoice! The Public Theater of San Antonio has a super treat for you. It’s called, Million Dollar Quartet, and it features Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, jamming together, like there’s no tomorrow.
Well, don’t take that literally. These famous fellows are portrayed by contemporary actors but judging from reviews of this popular musical, the personalities and songs are all there for the fans to savor and enjoy.
Created by Colin Eccott and Floyd Mutrux, the show was inspired by a real-life jam session those four iconic musicians engaged in on Dec. 4, 1956, inside the Sun Records studio in Phoenix. Three of them were already rising stars, and the fourth one, 21-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis, was certainly hoping to move in that direction. Also featured in the show is record producer Sam Phillips who had discovered all four of them. His character is the narrator of the story who steps out periodically, between songs, to provide contextual information.
The songs include all the favorites such as “Folsom Prison Blues,”, “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog,” “Down by the Riverside,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Long Tall Sally,” Don’t Be Cruel,” and many more.
Directed by the Public’s artistic director George Green, the musical features Actors Equity members: Kavan Hashemian (Presley); Gavin Rohrer (Lewis); Tyson Gerhardt (Perkins); Stephen Horst (Cash), and Jeff Jeffers who appears as Sam Phillips. Rohrer is also the music director.
The encounter at Sun Records occurred just a few months after Elvis had performed in San Antonio at the Municipal Auditorium. And there’s another San Antonio connection. While serving in the military, young Johnny Cash met his first wife Vivian in the Alamo City, and later returned to marry her here.
“Million Dollar Quartet” March 21 – April 14; Public Theater of San Antonio, 800 West Ashby Place; for times and tickets go to www.thepublicsa.org
A very different meeting of famous men is featured in “The Meeting” at the Overtime Theater. Written by Jeff Stetson, the play depicts an imaginary encounter between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., who end up discussing grave issues of social justice despite their differences in style and backgrounds. Played by Carl E. Brooks and Ronnie Whyman Alexander, respectively, the two men show respect for each other as they exchange views and strategies.
“It’s something that a lot of people can learn from, not just from a race standpoint, but even in religion, sex, or political viewpoints. I may not agree with your viewpoint, but I am willing to listen and try to understand where you are coming from,” said director Torence B. White in the press release.
White discovered the play after watching an episode of “A Different World” from the 1980s. In that show, students of Hillman College were given the assignment to imagine and develop a scene between the two Civil Right figures. White was intrigued enough to do some research, which eventually led him to Stetson’s work.
The entire action is the conversation, reportedly punctuated by some arm wrestling. While King espouses non-violent approaches to effecting societal change, the more forceful Malcolm X doubts the effectiveness of King’s strategy.
In addition to the two protagonists, the piece also features Malcolm’s bodyguard Rashad, portrayed by the director in the Overtime production.
In real-life, the two black leaders met only once, briefly, in March 1964, during the United States Senate’s debate on Civil Rights in Washington, DC., when they were photographed together.
“The Meeting,” March 22,23, 29 and 30; 8:30 p.m.; Tickets can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com; Overtime Theater, 5409 Bandera Rd.., Suite 205