Steadstyle Chicago
November 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
Million Dollar Quartet
The trip from the Goodman Theatre to the Apollo Theater has not hurt "Million Dollar Quartet" at all. In fact, the smaller venue bringing the audience much closer to the action, almost makes you feel that you were at Sun Studios on that special day on December 4, 1956 when Rock 'n' Roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and youngster Jerry Lee Lewis had a special recording session. The production is for the most part identical to that of the Goodman, but the Apollo is a more intimate spot where the audience is closer, the sound a little better and the same talented cast just makes you want to clap your hands and stamp your feet to some of the greatest hits of that era, "Blue Suede Shoes","Sixteen Tons", "Whole Lot Of Shakin' Goin' On","Great Balls of Fire" and lots more. This is 90 minutes plus of pure fun for the audience.
In
my original review, back in October, I praised each and every member
of this cast and now they are even better. The more they work
together, it seems the more comfortable they are with the characters
they play and each other. This is a must-see for any age.
While younger people may not know much about these "good ol'
boys," after the history lesson they will appreciate what we had
in the 50's and how music grew due to Mr. Sam Phillips, the
"Father of Rock 'n' Roll. Rob Lyons is Carl Perkins.
Eddie Clendenning as Elvis may be a bit shorter in height, but he
more than makes up for it in his talent. Lance Guest is near
perfection as Johnny Cash and you will not believe Levi Kreis as
Jerry Lee, you would swear he was the reincarnation. Brian
McCaskill, one of Chicago's finest, handles the role of Sam Phillips
and the lovely Kelly Lamont plays Dyanne. The back up
musicians, Chuck Zayas and Billy Shaffer are brilliant. In
fact, all of these performers play their own music with no
enhancements whatsoever.
The world around us may seem to be troubled right now, but we all know things will improve and during this run, I know that for at least ninety plus minutes you can forget what ails you and just have a grand old time on Lincoln Avenue. FYI, I know that some people try to get out of the theater quickly at curtain call time to avoid the parking lot rush. Do not do this, as you will miss 14 minutes of right-on entertainment, well worth having to wait to get out of the lot!
"Million Dollar Quartet" continues an extended run through January 3, 2010 at The Apollo located at 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue. Performances are Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 and 8 p.m. The Sunday performances times will change after June 14 to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Through June 7, the Sunday performances are 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25-$64.50 and are available at the Apollo box office, by phone at 773-935-6100 or through Ticketmaster.
About Alan Bresloff
Alan
Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago
Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for
LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra
Newspaper and The Epoch Times. He also writes for ElImparcial
and TeleGuia. His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.
Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a
"reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater
itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical
and more.
"Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad. Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen. You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.