The rock and roll of yesteryear will return to South Georgia when Peach State Summer Theatre kicked off a 13-performance run of “Million Dollar Quartet” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 25, in Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
 
Written by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, “Million Dollar Quartet” is based on the night in December 1956 when rock and roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins gathered together for the first and only time at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, for an impromptu recording session. The jukebox musical “brings that legendary December night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal, and celebrations that is both poignant and funny,” according to TheatricalRights.com. The show features hits such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Walk the Line,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Hound Dog,” and more.
 
“The actors not only act and sing; they also play all the instruments,” said Hank Rion, director of the Peach State Summer Theatre production of “Million Dollar Quartet” and assistant professor of theatre at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida. “It’s just phenomenal. Your jaw drops at the talent that they have. It’s a great energy when you have all the actors singing and dancing and playing. It really gets the crowd going wild. It’s the best.”
 
“Million Dollar Quartet” premiered at Florida’s Seaside Music Theatre in November 2006 before opening at Chicago’s Apollo Theater in October 2008. There the musical gained massive success, playing close to 3,000 performances before it closed in January 2016. The show debuted on Broadway in New York City at the Nederlander Theatre in April 2010, playing 489 performances before it closed in June 2011. This was followed by national tours and international productions, including at London’s West End and Canada’s Chemainus Theatre Festival. The show has earned a Tony Award and two additional Tony nominations; an Outer Critics Circle Award; and a Drama Desk Award nomination.
 
Peach State Summer Theatre’s production of “Million Dollar Quartet” is rated PG and is sponsored, in part, by VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration’s Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration Program and VSU’s Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honors Society.
 
Individual admission is $32 for adults, $28 for students and senior citizens, and $24 for Peach State Summer Theatre fans in groups of 10 or more, including taxes and fees.

Season memberships are available through Friday, May 25. The cost is $86.46 for adults and $83.25 for students and senior citizens, including taxes and fees. Each season membership includes three admissions to be used as desired by the member with advance reservations.
 
Patronages are also available at a variety of levels.