The Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents the MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

The cast of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, presented by The Milwaukee Repertory Theater at Vogel Hall in Milwaukee through May 24, 2025. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

The real Million Dollar Quartet, courtesy of Sun Records.

By Mary Boyle

On Tuesday, December 4th, 1956, a chance gathering of four of rock-n-roll’s greatest musicians occurred at Sam Phililips’ Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, TN: Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis.  Known as the “father of rock-n-roll,” Sam Phillips gave each of these artists their start in the music industry, not knowing that this one day would be both the first and last time he and his “boys” would all be together in the same place.  The jam session they recorded became known as the MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET and, while the existing recording is not great, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s recreation of that historical event most definitely lives up to the hype.

With book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux and based on the original concept and direction by Floyd Mutrux, Million Dollar Quartet consolidates some of the best music of the 1950s into one fast-paced, high-energy show derived straight from the stuff of legends.  Carl Perkins (Armando Gutierrez) was recording a new record at Sun Records studio with his brother Jay (Michael Ritter) on bass and W.S. “Fluke” Holland (Patrick Morrow) on drums when Phillips brought in an obnoxious, loud, nobody of a piano player to round out the sound by the name of Jerry Lee Lewis (JP Coletta).  Elvis (Joe Hebel), who had recently been sold to RCA, stopped by with his girlfriend, Marilyn Evans (“Dyanne” in the show, played by Aja Alcazar), followed by Johnny Cash (Blake Burgess/Trevor Lindley Craft), who Sam hoped to sign on for another contract.  As the musicians began to jam, Sam recorded the moment for posterity, capturing a legendary moment in rock-n-roll history.



​Carl Perkins, known as the “king of rockabilly,” had already had a hit with the song “Blue Suede Shoes,” but Elvis inadvertently stole it from him when he performed it instead of Perkins on television while Perkins was still in the hospital recovering from a car crash.  Perkins’ fame came more from other artists, such as Johnny Cash and, later, The Beatles, performing his songs, like “Matchbox,” which was recorded that day with Lewis on piano.  The quartet plays several by Johnny Cash, including “Folsom Prison Blues,” along with Lewis’s “Great Balls of Fire,” and more, but they also cover other classics such as “Long Tall Sally,” “That’s All Right,” “Down by the Riverside,” and “Sixteen Tons.”

Directed by Laura Braza, Million Dollar Quartet is one of the best concerts you’ll see this year.  The band, as a whole, is just incredibly talented, but I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight JP Coletta, who makes his Rep debut as the wild and crazy Jerry Lee Lewis.  I am already dying of curiosity wondering if both Coletta and his piano will survive the run of this show – his energy and performance level is off the charts!  If you are not out of your seat by the end of this performance, you better check your pulse.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET runs through May 24, 2025 in the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, located in the Marcus Performing Arts Center at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee.  Tickets may be purchased at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by phone at 414-224-9490, or Ticket Office at 108 E Wells Street, Milwaukee.

Talks and Events
Early Bird Performance: Tuesday, May 6 at 6:30pm
TalkBacks: Wednesday evenings following the performance: April 30, May 7, 21
Post-Show Panels: Thursday, May 15 – History of Black and White Music

Join the Milwaukee Repertory Theater for their amazing 2025/26 Season, featuring: It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Come From Away, A Christmas Carol, The Fisherman’s Daughters, The Lehman Trilogy, McNeal, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Ain’t Misbehavin’ The Fats Waller Musical Show, Frida…A Self Portrait, Mrs. Christie, George & Gracie: A Love Story, and And Then There Were None.
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About Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin with its new artistic home in the Associated Bank Theater Center opening Fall 2025 with three unique performance venues – the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, Herro-Franke Studio Theater and Stackner Cabaret. For over seven decades, Milwaukee Rep has been a centerpiece of Milwaukee’s vibrant arts and cultural scene with productions ranging from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare to American Classics and New Works that are entertaining, inclusive and impactful. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity. More information is available at www.MilwaukeeRep.com 

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