Tuacahn’s Million Dollar Quartet Brings Rock-n-Roll to Ivins, Utah

By Paul R. Nickels

December 4, 1956, a photograph was taken of four American singers and published with the caption of “Million Dollar Quartet.” It referred to the once-only collaboration of four of the biggest popular music stars of the 1950’s: Rockabilly’s Carl Perkins, Gospel Blues’ J.R. “Johnny” Cash, Rock & Roll Wild Man Jerry Lee Lewis, and a 21-year-old Elvis Presley.  If the talent in Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio that day was anywhere close to the talent in Tuacahn Center for the Arts Amphitheater’s current production of a tribute to that day, Million Dollar Quartet, they should have added a few more zeroes.

Million Dollar Quartet, now playing at the Tuacahn, recounts the day when Elvis Presley (Kavan Hashemian) visits his old boss Sam Philips (John Gardiner) at the Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Johnny Cash (Benjamin D. Hale) was reportedly already there, listening in on a recording session by the “Father of Rockabilly”, Carl Perkins (Colin Summers) and his bassist, Brother Jay (Isaac Erickson), along with a new kid Sam had invited to add some piano to the session.  That would be the then-unknown Jerry Lee Lewis (Gabe Aronson), who would record his first single that day for Sun Records. The event was real, and history was also recorded as the four men eventually settled into an impromptu jam session which sound engineer Jack Clement surreptitiously caught on tape. 

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Although the story plays that Producer Sam Philips did not profit from that collaboration, he recognized the seminal event as possibly historic, and summoned a cameraman to capture the four men seated around the studio’s Wurlitzer spinet.  The picture became famous, but Sun Records was eventually sold, and the recorded session languished in a box for 25 years before being brought to light. In 1981, 17 tracks of gospel/spiritual music from that session were released as an LP recording, The Million Dollar Quartet (Charly/Sun #1006).

Come to Tuacahn’s air-conditioned Hafen Indoor Theater to relive the history and be treated to a sound experience of 50’s music that did not exist in the technology of that age.  Sam Philips is the narrator of the story, in which we gain insights into the early life and struggles of each singer and their longing to “make it” in a cutthroat business. Through Sam we see the role of timing and salesmanship as the real story in raising these young men from obscurity to stardom.  

 If talent alone was the measure of success, the four young men performing at Tuacahn should be Superstars!  They are excellent, at a string poppin’, key busting level of energy that completely validates the history in the storytelling.  Perkins was an aggressive player, with a whole arsenal of advanced guitar styles, and Summers delivers all the sounds with a strutting, brash confidence that never holds back. Aronson as Jerry Lee dazzles with his speed and quirky showmanship on the piano, playing with hands and feet, upside down or backwards, it makes no difference; machine-gunning the keys without even looking, he boasts, “My fingers is got brains in ‘em!” The comeback he gets is, “Oh, THAT’s where they been hidin’!”

Million Dollar Quartet is full of wry humor and fast patter as the protagonists competitively size each other up.  Hale’s Johnny Cash lends a more restrained voice to the crew, but it’s a voice of sober resonance, clear down to what might have been a low D. With his high-strumming acoustic guitar, the real Man in Black is back. Hashemian’s Elvis has nothing to prove; he’s already made it big by this time, partly by stepping on Perkins’ toes by making Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” a signature song of his own.  Of the four, his feet do more entertaining than his guitar needs to.  The understated addition of local Boy Wonder Erickson as Brother Jay takes string bass playing to new heights, literally, as he swings it over his head, upside down in the air, while on his back or between his legs or strumming it like a guitar. Who knew string bass could be an Extreme Sport?  

There are 23(!) musical numbers in the show, representing the signature styles of each performer, as well as the collaboration of that day in December.  

To add charm to the quartet is the young lady, Dyanne (Kyli Rae) who enters on Elvis’ arm, and becomes part of the session. Don’t know quite why the name was changed, as the actual girl (shown sitting on the piano in the uncropped “Million Dollar” photo) was named Marilyn Evans.  Whether she sang or not, I don’t know, but “Fever” was a hot new number that year by Little Willie John, and Rae gets into it like the sultry camp follower she apparently is. Two years later (1958), “Fever” immortalized singer Peggy Lee, so it was great to have a female star of that era also represented. 

This show is in Tuacahn’s small indoor stage – but Craig Beyrooti’s sound design is anything but small. The piano is selectively miked between a few sweet notes and a roar. The bass rattles your teeth clear up in the balcony. The original Scenic Design by Derek McLane treats us to inside and outside views of Sun Records, plus a final concert done up Elvis style with sequins, fog, and lights. Lighting Design by Paul Black is spectacular, using just about every effect imaginable. Music Direction is by David Sonneborn, the onstage drummer, who keeps the beat the whole night through. 

Million Dollar Quartet is full of wry humor and fast patter as the protagonists competitively size each other up.   At one point, Elvis recounts his loss of a twin brother, whereupon J.R. and Jerry Lee both reveal the loss of a brother in a gruesome way. Carl Perkins then turns to his bassist and says, “Things ain’t lookin’ too good for you, Brother Jay!” 

Audiences are loving this show. As a point of history, Elvis died in 1977 at age 42, Carl Perkins in 1998 at age 65. Johnny Cash left us in 2003 at 71, but Jerry Lee Lewis, only nine months younger than Elvis, is still around.  He’ll be 86 in three months, but hasn’t quit playing. 

You have until August 7, 2021 to see this fabulous show. Don’t miss Million Dollar Quartet or you’ll be singing the blues every live long day, all summer long.

<Masks are recommended for the indoor performance.>

Tuacahn Center for the Arts presents Million Dollar Quartet, book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux.
Hafen Theater, 1100 Tuacahn Drive, Ivins, Utah 84738
Million Dollar Quartet runs select evenings until August 7, 2021.
Tickets: $24-$73
Contact: 800-746-9882
Tuacahn Center for the Arts Facebook Page
Million Dollar Quartet Promotional Video