Nearly 60 years ago, Sun Records owner Sam Phillips brought a young, hungry Jerry Lee Lewis into the studio to play piano on a Carl Perkins recording session. Perkins already had a hit with “Blue Suede Shoes,” but Lewis’ star wouldn’t rise until the following year. As an impromptu jam began with the arrivals of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, some accounts describe Lewis as being the standout performer of the session that, 50 years later, inspired the musical Million Dollar Quartet. The character of The Killer inarguably infuses the stage show with the energy and braggadocio Lewis became famous for, and it was a role Martin Kaye was born to play.
The Manchester, England, native has been playing Lewis for nearly five years, and was in the cast that kicked off the show’s run at Harrah’s in February 2012. “My agent told me about the audition and I went to see the show on Broadway,” says Kaye, whose father taught him boogie-woogie piano. “I had never heard of the show and I didn’t really know much about Jerry Lee Lewis at all, except for ‘Great Balls of Fire.’ So I went to see the show and I immediately sat up after the first song. I was like, ‘I need to play that role. That’s the role that I need to play right now.’ So I do feel like I was kind of born to play it.”
Million Dollar Quartet Photo by: ErikKabik/Retna/erikkabik.com
His fellow quartet members immerse themselves into their roles as naturally as they slip into their dazzling jackets at Million Dollar Quartet’s climax. Rob Lyons, the Vegas production’s musical director, who has been part of the stage show since its mid-2000s Seattle origins, wears the blue blazer as Perkins. Justin Shandor is a familiar face as Elvis to fans that see the show repeatedly, and once Marc D. Donovan’s performance as Sam Phillips is witnessed it’s hard, when thinking of the legendary Memphis producer, not to visualize Donovan. Newer to Vegas’ version are Victoria Matlock, who became Elvis’ date Dyanne in August, and Scott Moreau, who inherited Cash’s black jacket in time for the third anniversary.
As Kaye explains, the role never becomes boring. “It’s a different show every night,” he says. “There is freedom because of the fact that we’re not playing characters in a play. We’re playing real people, human beings who have real human reactions. … The audience is obviously different every night, so it changes things, and that’s what keeps it fresh. Plus, the fact that we get to play live means that we can play different licks, different solos and stuff, which is also fun. I love that.”
Million Dollar Quartet kicks off with a musical sparring session between Lewis (“Real Wild Child”) and Perkins (“Matchbox,” “Who Do You Love”) before the Man in Black arrives (“Folsom Prison Blues”) and Elvis shows up with Dyanne, who turns out to be a chanteuse (“Fever”). While conflicts based on real-life rivalries and career decisions inform the narrative, it’s the music that make the show worth seeing again. Lyons gets to demonstrate a stage stunt made possible by the presence of a stand-up bass, and Kaye’s rendition of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” brings down the house. “I was born to play anything really that involves high-energy piano with comedy and … just fun,” he says. “What other reason is there for life? People take themselves too seriously, so I definitely throw myself into everything and I think Jerry Lee Lewis is conducive to that.”
Harrah’s, 7 p.m. Sun., Tues. & Fri., 5:30 & 8 p.m. Mon. & Thurs., 6:30 p.m. Wed., 8 p.m. only March 11, $62.70-$86.90 plus tax and fee. 702.777.2782
