Million Dollar Quartet at Flat Rock Playhouse

Somehow, the Asheville area has been blessed with not one but two high-quality jukebox musical in the lead-up to Memorial Day. Along with The Andrews Sisters show, Sisters of Swing, at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, Flat Rock Playhouse has brought back its 2016 smash Million Dollar Quartet, a dramatization of the memorable night when Sam Phillips brought Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis to his Sun Records studio in Memphis.

Better than most modern rock concerts, Million Dollar Quartet gets off to a rousing start with a full-ensemble performance of “Blue Suede Shoes,” then smoothly transitions to Phillips (William Connell) looking back on that fateful evening in early December 1956. The lone actor not to play an instrument or sing lead, Connell serves as a sage guide through a fascinating time when four of the all-time great musicians had yet to hit their strides, offering insightful asides about his famous finds and how they came to be on his roster.

Backed by reliable studio players Jay Perkins (Chris Blisset) on bass and Fluke (Paul Babelay) on drums, the legends enter Sun one by one and don’t require much encouragement from Phillips to launch into their hits with the impressive bonus of the actors portraying them masterfully playing their own instruments.

Jeremy Sevelovitz ably channels Carl Perkins’ electric guitar wizardry, Eddie Clendening gets Cash’s trademark acoustic guitar posture just right, and Nick Voss swivels his hips and strums along so well that there’s a very real chance Elvis’ spirit is in the building. Voss and Clendening also look the part to a dead ringer degree, but stealing the show on practically every front is Nat Zegree as Lewis — the role that introduced FRP audiences to the actor’s charms six years ago.

Further elevating the sonic goodness as Million Dollar Quartet’s musical director, the energetic pianist is a firestorm, bouncing around the instrument as if he’d lose his gifts were he to sit still for a few seconds. With curly hair in similar constant motion and a loud wardrobe by Ashli Arnold-Crump to match Lewis’ colorful personality, Zegree also gets the show’s biggest laughs as the Louisiana native steadily teeters on the verge of letting his mouth get him into trouble, only to be saved at the last second by his prowess on the keys.

Into the mix of classic male hits walks Lexis Danca as Elvis’ lady friend Dyanna, who holds her own with a sultry rendition of “Fever.” Then it’s back to various permutations of the Quartet sharing their talents, as well as intriguing personal anecdotes that convey their current professional trajectories and the hopes, fears, and dreams that accompany them.

The book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux works in fun, winking references like Cash replying to a comment about his frequent touring by saying, “I’ve been everywhere, man,” and Elvis swearing he’ll never play Las Vegas again. But grounding the material and making it more than just a revue are the complex dynamics between the men, from various forms of contract drama to Carl Perkins’ lingering resentment at Elvis making his breakthrough with Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” while the songwriter was laid up in the hospital after an automobile accident.

Clearly aware of the rich material and wealth of talent at his disposal, director James Moye keeps the small but powerful group in steady motion across scenic designer Dennis C. Maulden’s convincing recording studio set, which ranks up with his best work at The Rock. The pacing of Million Dollar Quartet is so enthralling that, following some climactic revelations and Zegree’s long-awaited take on “Great Balls of Fire,” the show is suddenly over and the cast stepping forth to take their well-earned bows and raucous applause.

But like most any great concert, there’s an encore to round things out and put the proverbial bow on what would have been a stunning showcase regardless. Digging deep for one final stretch, the gifted artists save some of their biggest bravura moments for this final, four-song run, including some gravity-defying moves that are sure to leave anyone with a pulse hoarse from cheering.

Million Dollar Quartet runs through June 19. For details and tickets, visit FlatRockPlayhouse.org.

(Photos by Scott Treadway/Treadshots, courtesy of Flat Rock Playhouse)