Theatre News

Million Dollar Quartet to Close at Noël Coward, 14 Jan

Million Dollar Quartet, the Broadway jukebox musical which tells the story of the night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis came together in the same recording studio, has posted closing notices at the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre and will play its final performance on 14 January 2012.

The show, which is directed by Eric Schaeffer, was cast after an “extensive search” of the UK and Ireland and opened at the Noël Coward on 28 February 2011 (previews from 8 February). The production had previously been booking until 27 October 2012.

Million Dollar Quartet is produced in the West End by Relevant
Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, John
Gore
, Thomas B McGrath, James L Nederlander, Joseph Smith and
Michael McCabe.

In a statement, the show’s producers this evening (7 October 2011) said: “We’ve enjoyed a fantastic year in the West End and audiences have been amazing. The musical has been seen by over 200,000 people, played over 250 performances and grossed in excess of £5 million at the box office. We’d like to thank our cast of extraordinarily talented actors and musicians as well as the great company and crew who have all helped raise the roof of the Noël Coward Theatre night after night.”

The West End company currently includes Oliver Seymour-Marsh (Carl Perkins), Bill Ward (Sam Phillips), Ben Goddard (Jerry Lee Lewis), Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash), Francesca Jackson (Dyanne) and Michael Malarkey (Elvis Presley).

Million Dollar Quartet features 20 rock ’n’ roll, gospel, R&B and country hits all taken from the back catalogues 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”.

The show has a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux and was originally directed and conceived by Floyd Mutrux. The 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.