The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Million Dollar Quartet Christmas’ to perform Dec. 18
WATERBURY — The original team behind the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit reunites with “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas,” the brand-new heartwarming holiday rock ‘n’ roll musical, performing Dec. 18 at the Palace Theater in Waterbury.. Tickets are on sale now at www.palacetheaterct.org or call 203-346-2000.
There’s no place like home for the holidays, and Sun Records is just that for rock ‘n’ roll newcomers and soon to be legends – Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley. In a fortuitous twist of fate, all four musicians stop by their famous Memphis recording studio alma mater the same wintry evening, unbeknownst to them that they had the front seat to a revolution.
Million Dollar Quartet Christmas brings that momentous homecoming to life with an electrifying tale of family, nostalgia, faith, humor, heart break, and revelry. Journey through a story of Christmas past, present and future, jam packed with unforgettable performances of classic holiday hits and favorite chart toppers such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Blue Christmas,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town,” “Ring of Fire,” “Santa Baby,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Run Run Rudolph” and more.
The four iconic roles of Million Dollar Quartet Christmas are brought to life by Alex Swindle as Elvis Presley, Jared Freiburg as Jerry Lee Lewis, Zack Zaromatidis as Carl Perkins, and Bill Scott Sheets as Johnny Cash. The cast also features Kathleen Macari as Dyanne, Matthew Mucha as Sam Phillips, Michael Sinclair as Brother Jay (Jay Perkins), and Jamie Pittle as Fluke.
The show is directed by Scott Weinstein, featuring a book by Colin Escott, with orchestrations and additional arrangements by Chuck Mead. The design team is led by Kimie Nishikawa (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design), Ryan O’Gara (Lighting Design), and Diego Garzón (Sound Design). Million Dollar Quartet Christmas is produced by Madison Wells Live.
Scott Weinstein (Director) is an award-winning Director and Writer based in New York City. His work as a director has been seen at major regional theaters around the country and he recently won the Joseph Jefferson award for his Actor-Musician, chamber style re-conception of Ragtime with Griffin Theatre, where he is an ensemble member. Scott was the Associate and Resident Director for the Broadway National Tour, Las Vegas and Chicago productions of the hit musical Million Dollar Quartet. He has developed new work at the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Pittsburgh CLO, The American Music Theatre Project, The Marriott Theatre, Route 66 Theatre, The Rev, Norwegian Creative Studios and others. Graduate of Northwestern University and proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He is represented by William Morris Endeavor. www.ScottGWeinstein.com
Chuck Mead (Music Supervision/Arrangements/Orchestrations) is best known for being one of the founding members of three time Grammy nominated, Country Music Association Award winning country music group BR5-49. Between 1996 and 2005 the band released seven successful records before disbanding. In 2006 he started work as Music Supervisor/Director of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical “Million Dollar Quartet.” A member of the original creative team, he shaped the music for the Chicago, Broadway, West End, Las Vegas, and National Tour productions of MDQ all the while touring the world with his band and releasing four critically acclaimed solo albums. In 2017, Mead oversaw the music for the CMT television series “Sun Records” and in 2021 worked as Music Supervisor for the upcoming feature film “Neon Highway.”
Colin Escott (Book Author) Born in England, Colin Escott lives near Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of several books, including Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n Roll, the first indepth account of the Sun Records story. He coproduced “Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues” for PBS and BBC, and won a Grammy for The Complete Hank Williams on Mercury Records. He is a consultant to Time Life Music.