Press Release: Million Dollar Quartet

ELVIS PRESLEY, JOHNNY CASH, JERRY LEE LEWIS, CARL PERKINS BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND AS MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET OPENS SOUTH COAST REPERTORY’S SEASON

Show Features Many of SCR’s Original Cast and Creative Team

COSTA MESA, Calif. (Aug. 28, 2025)—South Coast Repertory (Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Suzanne Appel) invites you to step back in time to one special night in 1956—Million Dollar Quartet, book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, original concept and direction by Mutrux. Originally directed at SCR by James Moye and directed by Associate Director Kim Martin-Cotten, Million Dollar Quartet opens SCR’s 62^nd season Sept. 13-Oct. 11 on the Segerstrom Stage.

The hit musical returns to SCR by popular demand three years after playing to large audiences as part of Outside SCR in 2022.

“The story celebrates the power of shared joy, the need for competition, the importance of connectivity and the artist’s offering of vulnerability to inspire each other,” Ivers said. ““I love catching an early glimpse of these icons and I love the power of live music on stage. Also, it’s a whole heck of a lot of fun at a time we could all use it.”

Produced on and Off-Broadway, on London’s West End, in Canada and throughout the United States,

Million Dollar Quartet was nominated for three Tony Awards in 2010, including Best Book and Best Musical.

The music in Million Dollar Quartet is a rock ‘n’ roll lover’s dream, transporting audiences back in time with more than 20 celebrated classics such as “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Sixteen Tons”, “Long Tall Sally”, “I Walk the Line”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Hound Dog” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”

“Million Dollar Quartet is a nonstop thrill ride through the early history of rock ‘n’ roll,” Appel said. “These are songs are so timeless that even after 70 years, they still bring audiences across generations to their feet. South Coast Repertory’s 507 seat Segerstrom Stage will bring a remarkable level of intimacy to this rock concert-like experience with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.”

The Play

Million Dollar Quartet tells the story behind a seminal moment in rock history, when four rock-and-roll legends—Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis—met by pure chance at Sun Records in Memphis. That serendipitous meeting on Dec. 4, 1956 turned into one of the most memorable jam sessions in the history of music. The Memphis Press-Scimitar newspaper chronicled the session the next day under the headline “Million Dollar Quartet.”

It is SCR’s latest play in the American Icons series, which Ivers described as stories “about living or deceased people who contributed something of power or impact to our country.” Previous plays in the series included Nina Simone: Four Women by Christina Ham, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Joan by Daniel Goldstein, about legendary comedian Joan Rivers.

With Million Dollar Quartet, audiences see four American Icons at different points of their career, with another American Icon—music producer and Sun Records impresario Sam Phillips—guiding you through their stories. Considered the greatest rock ‘n’ roll producer in history, Phillips was the first non-performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joining Presley and Lewis in the inaugural class of 1986.

The Playwrights

The author of several books, Escott is one of the country’s most respected rock historians. His book, Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, is the first detailed look at the Sun Records story. Escott’s book, Hank Williams—The Biography, was adapted into the movie, I Saw the Light.

The English-born Escott is also an award-winning producer. His multi-CD box set, The Complete Hank Williams, won a Grammy and his B.B. King-King of the Blues earned a Grammy nomination.

Mutrux turned apprenticeships at the Alley Theatre and the famed Second City company in Chicago into a prolific producing and writing career. He has conceived, written, directed or produced 50 films, including Freebie and the Bean, American Hot Wax, Dick Tracy, The Hollywood Knights and Mulholland Falls, among others.

With Escott, Mutrux co-wrote the musical Baby It’s You! and the pair adapted “Sun Records” as a television series on CMT/Viacom.

The Directors

No stranger to Million Dollar Quartet, Moye (@jimmoye74) made his SCR directorial debut helming the 2022 Outside SCR production. This is his sixth production as director and he also starred in the original Broadway and Off-Broadway productions as Sam Phillips, one of nine Broadway shows Moye has appeared in. Moye was seen at SCR as Rita’s Dad in the 2024 world premiere of Prelude to a Kiss, The Musical.

Moye’s direction of Million Dollar Quartet at Chicago’s Marriott Theatre prompted the Chicago Tribune to write that “Moye’s staging finds that chemistry in quieter moments and in big, blast-off-the-room musical numbers. …”

This is Martin-Cotten’s second time directing at SCR. She previously helmed the 2024 Outside SCR production of The Old Man and The Old Moon. SCR’s Associate Artistic Director since 2021, Martin-Cotten is the Co-Director of the Pacific Playwrights Festival.

The Cast

Million Dollar Quartet features Chris Marsh Clark (Johnny Cash), JP Coletta (Jerry Lee Lewis), Armando Gutierrez (Carl Perkins), Austin Gutierrez (W.S. “Fluke” Holland), Michael Manuel (Sam Phillips), Ana Marcu (Dyanne), Rustin Cole Sailors (Elvis Presley) and Wyatt Wireman (Brother Jay). Doshima Iyorlu, Matthew MacNelly and Sam Saint Ours are the understudies.

Clark, Gutierrez, Sailors and Wireman reprise their roles from the 2022 production.

Clark (Instagram handle @chrisclark55) called playing Johnny Cash “one of his dream roles.” He returns to Southern California from playing Tully on the national tour of Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville.

Coletta (@jp.coletta) makes his SCR debut after playing Jerry Lee Lewis in three previous productions: at Arvada Center for the Performing Arts, Infinity Theatre Company (where he earned a Helen Hayes Award nomination) and as an understudy at John W. Engeman Theatre.

A Huntington Beach native, Gutierrez (@tecatemando) returns to SCR after appearing in several roles in The Old Man and The Old Moon. His New York credits include the Grateful Dead musical Red Roses, Green Gold (Minetta Lane Theatre) and Paul Gordon’s The Gospel According to Heather (Theatre 555). Gutierrez’s role as Ritchie Valens at Florida Studio Theatre earned him a Broadway.com Audience Award nomination.

Austin Gutierrez (@don.gute) is a New York-based drummer most recently seen in three productions of Venice Theater’s Buddy Lives!. He also co-arranged and played drums for Jefferson McDonald’s Great Balls of Fire for Princess Cruises. He is Armando Gutierrez’s younger brother.

Manuel (@themichaelmanuel) is no stranger to SCR, having played Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Carol the last four seasons. He also played Editor Webb in SCR’s 2022 production of Our Town, Boris in Amos and Boris, Madame Pernelle in Tartuffe, Big Stone in Eurydice and Francis Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Manuel won Ovation and LADCC awards for his role in A Noise Within’s production of Frankenstein. He will be in the upcoming feature Redux Redux, directed by the McManus brothers.

SCR audiences last saw Marcu (@a_marcu) playing six instruments during The Old Man and The Old Moon. Her Off-Broadway credits include Georama (Playwrights Horizons), 90210! The Musical! (Theatre 80), Gogol (Todd Almont, Josh Schmidt) and Chapters (Alanya Bridge).

Sailors (@rustinsailors) first captured SCR audiences with his performance of Guy in Once, which won him Best Actor in a Musical from BroadwayWorld. He’s quite familiar with The King, having also played Elvis in the 2022 production of Million Dollar Quartet and at the Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre’s production. Currently, Sailors is portraying Lucien Maxwell in the fourth season of Amazon Prime’s “Into the Wild Frontier,” and the premiere episode of ABC’s “Prank Patrol.”

A multi-talented bass player who has performed with multiple orchestras in California, Washington and Ohio, Wireman (@wk_wireman) returns to SCR for the first time since playing Brother Jay in the 2022 production.

The Creative Team

The design and creative team includes Efren Delgadillo Jr. and Brandon PT Davis, co-scenic design; Kish Finnegan, costume design; Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz, lighting design and Jeff Polunas, sound design. Wiley DeWeese is the music director; Joanne DeNaut, CSA is the casting director, Maisie Chan is the production manager, Kathryn Davies is the production stage manager, and Lauren Buangan is the assistant stage manager.

Million Dollar Quartet received generous support from Season Producers Harmon & Lea Kong and Honorary Producers Laurie and Steve Duncan and Susan Shieldkret and David Dull.

Tickets are now on sale and range in price from $41 to $142, with additional discounts available for educators, seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org or by phone at (714) 708-5555. More information is available at www.scr.org.

Special Events

• Post-Show Discussions:
• Actor Conversations with members of the cast: Wednesday, Sept. 24, Thursday, Oct. 2 and Friday, Oct. 10.
• Community Conversation, a presentation and discussion surrounding a theme specific to Million Dollar Quartet: Sunday, Sept. 28.
• Inside the Season: Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10:30 a.m.-noon. Led by members of SCR’s literary staff, this lively 90-minute session includes in-depth interviews with cast members and artists from the production staff, revealing secrets and offering insights into Million Dollar Quartet. Tickets are $14 and may be purchased in advance or at the door.
• ASL Interpreted Performance: Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m.

Location: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available on Park Center Drive, off Anton Boulevard.

2025-26 Upcoming Productions: Million Dollar Quartet, Sept. 13-Oct. 11, 2025; The Heart Sellers, Oct. 26-Nov. 16, 2025; Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, 45^th Anniversary, Nov. 29-Dec. 28, 2025; God of Carnage, Jan. 23-March 21, 2026; Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Jan. 24-March 21, 2026; Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale, Feb. 20-March 8, 2026; Eat Me, April 12-May 3, 2026; Fremont Ave., April 25-May 23, 2026; Hershey Felder, BEETHOVEN, June 10-21, 2026. The annual showcase of new works, the Pacific Playwrights Festival, runs May 1-3, 2026.