It was nearly a year ago in September 2008 when my columnist colleague Molly Woulfe wrote about the stage musical "The Million Dollar Quartet" enjoying its Midwest premiere in Chicago.
It opened Sept. 27 and played through Oct. 26 at the Goodman Theater. It wasn't a Goodman production, but rather the show's producers simply arranged to used the space.
And a year later, it's still playing to packed audiences, only, it's no longer at the Goodman.
Which is one of the reasons I'm probably getting regular reader letters, telephone calls and questions about this hit show.
For example, here's a question on this subject posed by reader Dennis Ruthrauff of Schererville:
"I hope you can help me Phil. I've really wanted to see the musical 'Million Dollar Quartet,' but I'm having trouble finding out what the date are for the run and where it's playing. I'd like to see it before it leaves Chicago, unless you think it might be coming to Northwest Indiana? Please share any information you can about this show. Thank you for your help. Dennis Ruthrauff."
Thank you for your question Dennis. First of all, you are not the only one who hasn't seen "Million Dollar Quartet."
Somehow, along the way, I too have missed catching it.
For readers unfamiliar with this rock musical show, it's all about a real-life "chance meeting" of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.
I loved the way Molly described the show's musical score in her piece last year as: "jukebox-worthy, filled with hits" like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Sixteen Tons" and "Long Tally Sally."
And best of all, it's a show based on fact.
Presley and his three fellow legends-to-be met the winter of 1956 in producer Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio in Memphis. Cash and Perkins were 24, Presley and Lewis, 21. And it was Phillips who was keen enough to leave the tape running for a 2-1/2-hour recording of this legendary musical encounter.
Directed by Eric Schaeffer and Floyd Mutrux, "Quartet" offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the events of that date on Dec. 4, 1956.
Okay, now to answer Dennis' question, this show is now playing at The Apollo Theater and it's just been extended through Oct. 30.
"We are thrilled to announce we are extending our run in Chicago," producer Gigi Pritzker tells me.
"It was always our hope that Chicago audiences would love this show. From the very first preview performance, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, exceeding our expectations and confirming our hopes."
As for the show coming to Northwest Indiana, that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
However, if you or anyone else would like a "free" sample of the show, the principal performers will be at Navy Pier in Chicago at 5 p.m. Aug. 14 doing several numbers.
And yes, the cast is the same as the line-up who opened the show at the Goodman, with Levi Kreis as Lewis, Lance Guest as Cash, Rob Lyons as Perkins, Brian McCaskill as Phillips and Eddie Clendening as Presley.
In fact, Clendening, who has also worked as a cook and a private chef, was at Macy's on State Street last month showcasing his culinary talents in a cooking demo to create Elvis' Favorite Grilled BBQ Meatloaf Sandwich.
Tickets for "Million Dollar Quartet" at the Apollo Theatre, 25 40 N. Lincoln Ave., are $25 to $70 at (773) 935-6100 or milliondollarquartetlive.com.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.
Today's Celebrity Birthdays
Cartoon legend Betty Boop is 79. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 67. Actor Sam Elliott is 65. Boxer Ken Norton ("The Gong Show") is 63. Singer Barbara Mason is 62. Actress Melanie Griffith is 52. Actress Amanda Bearse ("Married...With Children") is 51. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 50. Singer Whitney Houston is 46. "Today" co-host Hoda Kotb is 45. Actor Pat Petersen ("Knots Landing") is 43. Actress Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") and actor Eric Bana ("Star Trek," "The Hulk") are 41. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Chris Cuomo and bassist Arion Salazar (Third Eye Blind) are 39. Rapper Mack 10 is 38. Latin singer Juanes is 37. Actress Anna Kendrick ("Twilight") is 24.
