“Million Dollar Quartet” is based on the day in December 1956 when Elvis Presley dropped by Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and jammed with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

Those who are sticklers for historical accuracy might be disappointed by the musical, as it is very much a fictionalised account of what happened that day. A recording of the real event was thankfully made, but it does not feature Johnny Cash at all (although he was certainly at least there for the photo call), and there is more emphasis on gospel music than rock ‘n’ roll. The opposite is true of the musical, which features almost exclusively rock ‘n’ roll performances, including “Blue Suede Shoes”, “That’s All Right”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Hound Dog” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” None of those were really sung during the jam and the Jerry Lee numbers weren’t even recorded by him until the following year. Elvis’ girlfriend in the musical, Dyanne, who sing’s Peggy Lee’s “Fever” in the show, is also fictional. The real girlfriend was Marilyn Evans and she didn’t sing. So yes, you won’t get a history lesson if you watch this show, but that’s not the intention of course. It is designed to entertain through high energy rock ‘n’ roll performances and the positive reviews of the US version suggest it does achieve that.

“Million Dollar Quartet” stars Michael Malarkey as Elvis Presley, Ben Goddard as Jerry Lee Lewis, Derek Hagen as Johnny Cash, Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins, Bill Ward as Sun Records boss Sam Phillips, and Francesca Jackson as Dyanne. Lyons starred in the original Broadway production.

Million Dollar Quartet opens at London’s Noël Coward Theatre (0844 482 5141) on February 28, 2011, with reduced price previews from February 8, 2011. Click here for Million Dollar Quartet ticket information.

A North American tour of “Million Dollar Quartet” is planned for October 2011.

The part of Jerry Lee Lewis is played by Broadway newcomer Levi Kreis, who won a Tony Award in June for his performance. Kreis will also appear on Lewis’ new album, “Mean Old Man,” performing a duet on the song “Money.”

“Million Dollar Quartet” opened at the Nederlander Theater on April 11 and has received rave reviews. It also stars Eddie Clendening as Elvis Presley, Lance Guest as Johnny Cash and Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins.

Previous stars to sit in with the cast during the show’s finale include Larry Gatlin, Guy Davis and Melissa Etheridge.

Click for Million Dollar Quartet ticket details

You can pre-order Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Mean Old Man” from the following online retailers:

Title
Jerry Lee Lewis – "Mean Old Man" standard edition (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Jerry Lee Lewis – "Mean Old Man" deluxe edition (CD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

The show is inspired by the 1956 session at Sun studios in Memphis when Elvis Presley visited his former label and jammed with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. There’s some debate over whether Cash was involved in the session, as he doesn’t seem to appear anywhere on the tapes, but he was definitely in attendance as he features in the photos taken on the day. That said, the musical aims to entertain and doesn’t claim to be historically accurate.

The Million Dollar Quartet musical will feature Eddie Clendening as Elvis Presley, Lance Guest as Johnny Cash, Levi Kreis as Jerry Lee Lewis and Rob Lyons as Carl Perkins. All are making their Broadway debuts. The show will begin previews on March 13 at the Nederlander Theater and open on April 11.

Click for Million Dollar Quartet ticket details