Million Dollar Quartet...and a note about Red

[skynyc]

Spoilers, sorry.

Last night I worked until 7:45 and then walked to the 1/2 price booth and got a great ticket to Million Dollar Quartet. I really enjoyed it a lot but suspect it may not survive long. All the performances are terrific, expecially the guy playing Jerry Lee Lewis, (but then he has the best lines.) The guy playing Carl Perkins is also super.

I think if this show had been playing ten years ago it would have been the Jersey Boys of it's time, but I am a little afraid that it missed it's window to be mainstream enough for Broadway. I can totally see it in Branson, MO or places where Rockabilly and early Blues, and even Gospel Music is celebrated. But here, the audience that was into it was definitely in their 50s and 60s and two thirty somethings sitting in front of me walked out forty minutes into it. I felt that the book worked well, and it was tightly directed and produced at about 95 minutes with no intermission. I did think it was a shame that Hunter Foster wasn't given a chance to sing...but fully acknowledge that for him to have a "dream sequence" where he could sing like these guys would have been a terrible idea.

The "concert" ending is fun (if a little incongruous) and really gets the audience into it...everyone was buoyed up nicely to head out.

I am glad I saw this, but feel that it may be in and out quickly.

The tkts board also had American Idiot, so it was a tough choice, but given my mood, I made the right one.

 

I also caught Red last week and want to add my rave to those of Lucky and others on another post. Molina is marvelous, and the play works well, especially after the first ten minutes when you get used to how off-putting Rothco is being. I liked a lot of what was said and found it accessible and interesting. I did have to go look up Rothco upon getting home to fill in some of the blanks. I suspect that the Tony for Best Play is going to be a toss-up between this and Come Fall.(Next Fall?-Mod.)..but that will be for another thread.

[+ Lucky]

Red opens tonight, I will look forward to seeing the reviews. Critics have to find fault somewhere!