Million Dollar Quartet

article by VANELIS RIVERA | photography by ANDREW BAILEY

About three years ago, local musician Josh Madden was asked by a Strauss Theatre board member if he would be interested in playing Jerry Lee Lewis in Colin Escott’s and Floyd Mutrux’s Million Dollar Quartet. Though confident he could play the required style, he was hesitant to take the part because he didn’t physically resemble the influential pianist. But when he received a call this past summer to direct the musical, he knew he’d be able to fill that role without reservation. 

The Tony Award-winning broadway musical is inspired by the true story of the famed recording session where Sam Phillips, American record producer often referred to as the “Father of Rock and Roll,” brought together icons Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley for one unforgettable night on December 4, 1956. This icon-studded jam session took place at Sun Records in Memphis, a detail that further pushed Madden to accept the directing position, as he has twice visited the pioneer studio, both times laying hands on one of the pianos that Jerry Lee Lewis once played. “Growing up with this music, having that personal connection to the music and musicians, you know, it was a no brainer,” he says. While an incredibly gifted musician, and one on demand throughout North Louisiana, Madden has been sharpening his scriptwriting and directorial skills, recently completing his first short film titled Death Song. “Obviously, I wanted to try something on stage, see how that would work, you know?” 

Auditions were held mid-August, but the turnout was “very poor.” That left Madden with the task of having to track down players, particularly the part of Jerry Lee, which ended up going to Stephen Paul Smith. They went through the possibility of having someone play the part that couldn’t play piano, while someone supplemented the music offstage, but that was not working out. At that point, Madden was strongly considering stepping in himself: “Which meant, I was about to go on a crash diet and find some two inch lifts and try to look the part as much as I could.” Madden is a self-proclaimed purist about the artists the musical is based on. “I didn’t want to play the part or cast somebody that couldn’t look and feel the part, and especially play the piano,” Madden adds. By the second week of September the cast list had been filled, most hand-picked by Madden, the first of which was local singer/songwriter Joel Jordan, lead singer of Astro Motel. Having already worked with him before in musical performances and in the short film, Madden knew that, from a dramatic standpoint, Jordan could find the character of Carl Perkins. “He had the guitar skills and the vocal skills, and the stage presence to pull off that character,” says Madden. On the subject of physical resemblance, Madden points to local musical talent Mason Howard, cast for the part of Johnny Cash. “Mason Howard looks like a young Johnny Cash in his early twenties. He has a slighter frame than Johnny has, but his facial features, hair color, everything is very similar, and I knew he had the musical skills to pull it off,” explains Madden, adding that the only work he had with Howard was on his low register because Howard is more a tenor than bass-baritone. One of the hardest roles to cast was none other than that of the King himself. At one point they had an Elvis, but the actor backed out because of scheduling reasons. It took Madden a week to find someone with enough strut, but when Scott Stone, playing the part of Sam Phillips, mentioned his son Asa Stone, lead singer of Jig the Alien, for the part, Madden was convinced: “Without hesitation, I knew he could do it. I’ve seen him, you know, with his band, Jig the Alien. I know he’s got stage presence. He’s got musical ability, and the personality that would have fun on stage.” What better way to cast the “Father of Rock and Roll” and the “King of Rock and Roll” than with a father and son?

From the get-go, Madden and the crew knew they were up against a few hurdles. With only six weeks to prepare before their first show on October 16th and the threat of COVID-19 looming over rehearsals, Madden quickly realized that directing was mostly a matter of problem solving. “It’s like you’re looking at something, assessing it, and trying to figure out how to solve every problem. And it’s daunting, for sure. I mean, you feel like a general on a battlefield. You’re sending troops this way and that way, and trying to fix the little problems” he says. Madden has watched his cast try to go off-book, stumble over lines, kick themselves for making mistakes, only to keep rising to the occasion; ultimately, nailing the details that have allowed them to reach a level of confidence on par with the reputation of their character. Nevertheless, a full cast of musicians playing musicians makes for quick turnarounds and, more significantly, exceptional music. 

On October 2nd, the cast performed a sneak peek musical performance at Enoch’s Pub & Grill. Though most of the cast are no strangers to the Enoch’s stage, some found the task daunting. “Asa and I were freaking petrified at Enoch’s,” laughs Mason, though both nailed their performances. “Mason shocked us all,” says Madden. “Mason got out there, and just suddenly started hitting the vocal parts and sounding and looking and acting like Johnny Cash.” Asa, who was “living his best life” as Elvis that night, refined his moves thanks to Madden’s experience as band leader to local Elvis tribute artist Todd Martin (who graciously assisted with some of the choreography), and fully transformed on the Enoch’s stage. It seems like an easy task for a musician to play another musician, yet that wasn’t quite the case when performing in a musical. “People tell you, when you’re performing, to be authentically you. Be yourself. Don’t try to sound like other people,” says Howard about performing live. Working to perfect the voice and feel of a musical icon has a lot of moving parts, but Jordan had a different experience with his character: “It’s freeing to me because nobody knows who Carl Perkins is, so I don’t have to live up to anything. I can kinda just create more of the character.” Even then, Jordan notes that playing Perkins, “a musician’s musician,” still elicits some pressure. Out of all the cast, Smith identifies most with his character: “Jerry Lee’s entire family is all like hard core Pentecostal, as is the majority of mine. And that spirituality that’s hidden beneath the hedonism of rock and roll, I’ve lived that life.” 

In total, there are eight characters in the musical, and only one is a woman–a singer named Dyanne who is introduced as Elvis’s girlfriend, though in the real session his girlfriend was a dancer named Marilyn Evans. Dyanne is played by Rachal Ann Graham, professional vocalist, who is no stranger to theatre, being the only experienced thespian of the group. “If you try to research female singers in the 1950s, you don’t get a lot of things turned up as far as rockabilly goes. You mostly get Peggy Lee, who sang more jazzy kind of stuff,” says Rachal, making it a point that “women are very underrepresented in the fifties, but they were there,” a fact all too apparent on set. In the musical, Dyanne shows up on Elvis’s arm, soaking the scene in, “but she is very much an underrated part of the group because of the fact that she is a woman, even though she is capable of exactly what they are capable of, as far as showmanship goes; she’s not going to have that chance,” says Rachal. “It’s interesting playing a woman in a man’s world, especially in music.” As a solo artist who has graced a few local venues with her songs, Rachal has experienced “the different game” of being one of the few female entertainers in the area. Such experiences allowed her to more intimately shape the role based on her attempts to break into the local music scene for over a decade. “There’s an understanding between me and the character of what it’s like to show up and everything you do to be based on either the men in the group or what you can do as an image. Oh, she’s beautiful up there doing her thing. It’s not about the music,” she asserts. In spite of those realities, Rachal’s experience with the Million Dollar men has been one unlike most. “I have never felt so included in a group of other musicians,” she beams, praising her cast for their kindness and consideration, and admiring them deeply for their talent. 

With legendary rock hits including “That’s Alright,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” Million Dollar Quartet is mostly about the music. “You have the 1927 Yankees Murderers Row of songs,” notes Jordan. The musical variety runs the gamut, but what audiences will experience is the amount of fun the musicians are having as they harmonize and jam to each other’s energy. “It’s a party,” says Jordan. Having the performance outdoors at Kiroli Park provides an interesting dimension as well, with lights going wild, Jerry Lee’s piano on fire, and Sam Phillips monologuing under a golden spotlight. The musical is comparable to a kind of surreal concert, a dedicated musician’s fever dream. The complexity of the show is not one that will be lost on the audience, thanks to the skilled direction provided by Madden, and a cast that promptly found their stage legs. 

Find out more about upcoming Strauss Theatre performances by visiting their website https://www.strausstc.com or following them on Facebook.