One day in December 1956, four up-and-coming musicians met by chance at the Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
Their names were Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. All four would go on to shape the face of rock ’n’ roll for an entire generation. And the story of that legendary jam session has been memorialized in a Tony Award-winning musical, “Million Dollar Quartet,” which opens May 13 at the Croswell Opera House in Adrian.
Lawrence Havelka of Chelsea, who was last seen at the Croswell in last summer’s “Big Fish,” plays Elvis. The role of Jerry Lee Lewis will be played by John Grieco, a New York-based actor and singer. Jonathan Crayne of Adrian will play Carl Perkins. And Johnny Cash will be played by Phil Baugh of Fort Collins, Colorado, whose past roles at the Croswell include “Walk the Line,” a musical based on the country singer’s life.
Eric Parker of Chicago, who is directing the show, will also play the role of Sun Records owner Sam Phillips. Tatiana Owens, a Toledo native who now lives in New York and starred in last summer’s production of “Memphis,” will play Elvis’ girlfriend, Dyanne. The singers will be backed by Keith Kemner of Adrian as Fluke, a studio drummer, and Tim Prettyman of Tecumseh as Jay Perkins, a bassist who is also Carl Perkins’ brother.
Rather than impersonate the stars with all of the trademark moves they developed later in life, Parker said the cast of “Million Dollar Quartet” will try to capture the energy and innocence of four young stars at the beginning of their careers.
“This just captures them as young guys — young Southern boys doing what they love to do,” he said. “They’re relatively innocent guys with the first blush of success on them.”
The show takes place in the Sun Records recording studio, and scenic designer Doug Miller has decorated the set to look like a postwar studio built in a converted auto parts store. Costumes by Betsy Lackey will complete the picture, bringing the audience back to the early days of rock ’n’ roll as the cast tears through many of the four stars’ greatest hits.
“Million Dollar Quartet” runs the weekends of May 13-15 and May 20-22, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $35 and may be ordered online at croswell.org or by calling 517-264-7469.
The Croswell Opera House is at 129 E. Maumee St. in downtown Adrian. Because the front of the building is under construction, parking behind the theater is recommended.
If you go
- What: “Million Dollar Quartet”
- When: May 13-15 and May 20-22, with Friday and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. and Sunday shows at 2:30 p.m.
- Where: Croswell Opera House, 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian
- Tickets: $15 to $35
- More info:org