Totem Pole Playhouse, Pennsylvania’s premiere summer theater located in Caledonia State Park between Chambersburg and Gettysburg, PA, announces the opening night performance of the fourth and final offering in the theatre’s four-show subscription series, the Tony Award Winning musical Million Dollar Quartet, sponsored by Edward Jones and Paul D. Orange MD Family Medicine. Million Dollar Quartet is set on December 4, 1956, when an extraordinary twist of fate brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins at Sun Records in Memphis, TN for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever. The production will have three low-cost previews this Friday, July 28, at 8pm and Saturday, July 29, at 2pm and 8pm, with all seats general admission for $20.00, followed by the Opening on Sunday, July 30, at 2pm. Patrons attending the Sunday matinee Opening are also invited to attend a wine and dessert reception with the cast following the performance as part of admission. The show has one of the largest advance sales in Totem Pole Playhouse’s 67-year history with over 70 percent, close to 7,000 tickets, already sold for the three-and-a-half week run.
Million Dollar Quartet brings the legendary 1956 recording session to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayals and celebrations that is both poignant and funny. The production recreates the era with an incredible score of rock ‘n’ roll, gospel, R&B and country hits, performed live onstage by world-class actors and musicians. The production features such classic hit songs as: “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “That’s Alright Mama,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Hound Dog,” and more.
Legendary Sun Records Producer Sam Phillips is played by Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Hugh Hysell. David Elkins portrays Johnny Cash, having won rave reviews from Cash’s own family during the national tour of Million Dollar Quartet. Michael Monroe Goodman serves as Music Director for the production, and also lends his musical talents to the role of Carl Perkins.
Jason Cohen, who appeared earlier this season as one of the gangsters in Totem Pole Playhouse’s successful production of The Drowsy Chaperone, will portray the legendary flamboyant pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. Joe Boover is reprising his role as a young Elvis Presley having played the King of Rock n’ Roll in four previous productions of Million Dollar Quartet.
Totem Pole Playhouse Producing Artistic Director, Rowan Joseph, is directing the production which is dedicated to the late actor/director, Jason Edwards, who staged Totem Pole’s hugely successful 2014 production of Ring of Fire, the Music of Johnny Cash. Edwards, who was to have directed the production, passed away suddenly after having appeared in the same production this past winter in Vero Beach, Florida.
Mechanicsburg native, Jonathan Dunkle, who teaches lighting design and is the Production Manager for New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, is the Lighting Designer for the production. Erica Zaffarano, who designed Million Dollar Quartet last summer at the Circa ’21 Dinner Theatre in Rock Island, IL will provide the set design and the costumes are designed by Brian Horton, Costume Designer for the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.
The show will run July 28 through August 20 with matinee performances Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm and evening performances Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.
Tickets for all regular performances are priced at $50.00 and $35.00 for groups of 10 or more, and can be purchased by calling the Totem Pole box office at (888) 805-7056 or on-line at www.TotemPolePlayhouse.org