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| The West End Cast of Million Dollar Quartet |
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Goddard, Hagen, Lyons & Malarkey Form QuartetDate: 6 January 2011
Million Dollar Quartet, the über jukebox musical which comes to the West End after productions in Chicago and New York and features the music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis has today (6 January 2011) announced full casting for the production which opens on 28 February 2011 (previews from 8 February).
Having previously announced former Coronation Street star Bill Ward will play legendary music producer Sam Phillips, the rest of the cast will be made up of Ben Goddard (Jerry Lee Lewis), Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash), Francesca Jackson (Dyanne), Robert Britton Lyons (Carl Perkins) and Michael Malarkey (Elvis Presley).
Lyons transfers from the show's Broadway run at the Nederlander Theatre, having created the role of Carl Perkins and played the role in all previous productions of the show. Michael Malarkey, who makes his West End debut has previous stage credits including Laurie Sansom’s productions of Beyond The Horizon and Spring Storm at the Northampton Royal & Derngate, which transferred to the National Theatre.
Derek Hagen's recent stage credits include Lucy Prebble's Enron and the Savoy Theatre production of Carousel directed by Lindsay Posner. A finalist in the BBC's search for Nancy, Francesca Jackson starred in A Little Night Music at Le Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Her other stage credits include Dreamboats and Petticoats in the West End and on tour, Can’t Smile Without You and Tonight’s The Night on tour.
The rest of the cast were today announced as Justin Brett (Alternate Johnny Cash), Matthew Empson (Jerry Lee Lewis at certain performances), Gez Gerrard (Jay Perkins), Kevin Mains (Elvis Presley at certain performances), Adam Riley (Fluke) and Oliver Seymour-Marsh (Carl Perkins at certain performances). Sharon Clancy understudies for Dyanne whilst Steven Bor covers the role of Carl Perkins.
Million Dollar Quartet is inspired by the actual event that took place on 4 December 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis where, in an move masterminded by Sun Records’ founder Sam Phillips, brought Elvis Presley back to the recording studio that launched him to stardom and had him play with the other musicians he had discovered.
The musical features 20 rock ’n’ roll, gospel, R&B and country hits all taken from the back catelogues of the quartet members including: "Blue Suede Shoes", "I Walk The Line", "Fever", "Great Balls of Fire", "Hound Dog", "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On".
It has a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux and was originally directed and conceived by Floyd Mutrux. It has scenic design by Derek McLane, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound by Kai Harada and musical arrangement and supervision by Chuck Mead.
Million Dollar Quartet is produced in the West End by Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology,
John Gore,
Thomas B McGrath,
Joseph Smith and
Michael McCabe.
- by Andrew Girvan
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