It was December 4, 1956, and four rock stars — Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis — found themselves at the Sun Record Studios owned by record producer Sam Phillips
in Memphis. An impromptu and iconic jam session took place at the studio that was later released as The Million Dollar Quartet, with 17 songs. Described as a rock and roll extravaganza, the musical Million Dollar Quartet brings to life this momentous incident in music history. After a Broadway and West End run, the production comes to Bengaluru.
“I grew up with much of this music, so it is great to discover it again for the production,” director Ian Talbot tells us. A total of 24 classic foot-tapping numbers such as Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog,
I Walk the Line, and Fever are part of the musical. “As a fan of the music, it was great to have the opportunity to bring the origin of the songs to the stage,”
Ian shares. The cast of the play includes TV presenter Peter Duncan in the role of Sam Phillips. “Sam is a tough character and he has endured some hardships,” Peter tells us. Singer and actor Ross William Wild plays the lead role of Elvis Presley and Robbie Durham plays Johnny Cash. “Elvis is such an iconic character and everyone has their own view of him. It is hard to match everyone’s expectations but I do my best!” Ross tells us. The actor immersed himself into the musician’s work and watched as many interviews of the legend as he could, to get into character. Actress Katie Ray is seen in the role of Dyanne, Elvis’ girlfriend.
Robbie admits that it is challenging to portray a figure such as Johnny Cash. “It was daunting at first, but now I feel comfortable filling those shoes every night. I read a lot of biographies and autobiographies of Cash. That allowed me to build up a rounded perspective of his character,” he confides. This is not the crew’s first time in India, but this is the first time the production is coming to Bengaluru. “I am hoping that the musical will receive the same warm and vocal response it did last time,” Ian signs off.
Rs. 1,180 upwards. February 26 - March 8. At St John’s Auditorium, Koramangala
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