Million Dollar Quartet Seeks Elvis for 2011 Opening
The planned West End premiere of Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet will feature homegrown British stars, found via a nationwide search that launches next week. Producers are looking for actor-musicians to play 1950s rock ‘n’ roll stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis in the musical, which is due to open in the West End in 2011, with venue and dates still to be announced.
The first open audition will take place on Monday 13 September 2010 at the West End’s Arts Theatre, followed by auditions in Glasgow (20 September), Liverpool (21 September), Bristol (22 September) and Dublin (23 September).
Million Dollar Quartet takes its title from the name given to what’s considered one of the greatest impromptu jam sessions in history, which took place at Sun Record studios in Memphis, Tennessee, where Presley, Cash, Perkins and Lewis just happened to all stop by on the same day, 4 December 1956.
The show, which has a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, features 22 songs, including many made famous by the four legends such as“Blue Suede Shoes, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Great Balls of Fire” and “Hound Dog”. Following tryouts in Florida and Chicago, Million Dollar Quartet opened in April 2010 at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, where it’s still running.
In a statement on behalf of all the producers, Joseph Smith and Michael McCabe said: “Million Dollar Quartet delivers the thrilling mix of brilliant music with a fascinating story, set in 1956 when all four of these music legends were in their creative prime. Our exploratory casting search to run throughout the UK and Ireland really does highlight the uniqueness of the show, as we need to find outstandingly gifted musicians who can also create the persona of the quartet and ultimately embody the spirit of these iconic stars rather than merely impersonating them.”
The producers are seeking males with a playing age of early to late 20s. If unable to make it to the live auditions, aspirants can also submit performance videos via YouTube. For full audition information, visit www.MillionDollarQuartetLive.co.uk.
