It’s a peculiar experience, as a theater critic, to watch a show that’s just not for me, while appreciating the talent onstage and understanding its appeal to others. “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas” at the Marriott Theatre is one such production. A spinoff of the popular jukebox musical “Million Dollar Quartet,” this version with a new book by Colin Escott (co-writer of the original) reimagines the real-life jam session by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley with holiday tunes performed in their signature styles.
Rockabilly, gospel and country are not my preferred genres, hence the lukewarm reception on my part, but the original “Million Dollar Quartet” is a longtime favorite among Chicago theatergoers. Following a limited run at the Goodman Theatre in 2008, the musical transferred to the Apollo Theater, where it ran for seven-plus years. That production also opened on Broadway in 2010, earning three Tony Award nominations. In its latest regional iteration, Paramount Theatre opened an immersive production in July 2024, which is still going strong despite recent programming cuts and staff layoffs at the Aurora company.
So, why create a Christmas version? From the financial angle, of course, there’s the hope that seasonal nostalgia will translate into box office success — the same reasoning behind the abundance of “Christmas Carols” and “Nutcrackers” at this time of year. But beyond that, as director Scott Weinstein points out in his program note, each of the four artists featured in the show went on to make their own beloved recordings of Christmas music. While they didn’t actually record holiday songs on that legendary night at Sun Records in December 1956, there’s precedent for this fictional version in their bodies of work.
The Marriott production stars JP Coletta (as Jerry Lee Lewis), Trevor Lindley Craft (Carl Perkins), Michael D. Potter (Johnny Cash) and Colton Sims (Elvis Presley), along with Ross Griffin as Sun Records founder Sam Phillips and Teah Kiang Mirabelli as Dyanne, Elvis’ girlfriend and a vocalist in her own right. Each of the four principal actors performs on guitar or piano, in addition to singing, and they’re joined by Jed Feder as drummer Fluke and Cody Siragusa as bassist Brother Jay.
The musical performances are high-energy affairs, with Coletta striking acrobatic poses at the piano and Sims delivering Presley’s loose-kneed dance moves while crooning into the microphone. The score features holiday hits of the era, such as “Blue Christmas” and “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus,” plus rock ‘n’ roll renditions of traditional carols and a few non-holiday songs like Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
The latter is an example of the show’s unabashed fan service. “Ring of Fire” was co-written by June Carter, who wouldn’t become June Carter Cash until more than a decade after the show is set. When Johnny performs it in the studio and Phillips declares that the song sounds like a hit, the Man in Black nonchalantly responds, “Yeah, we’ll see.” (Cue knowing chuckles from the audience.)
Personally, my favorite moments were the rare pauses for reflection through quieter acoustic songs. A blown circuit provides an excuse to dim the lights mid-show, as Cash recalls hearing “Silent Night” sung by German children on one of the Christmases he spent abroad in the Air Force. Circled around the piano, the company’s voices really shine here.
As with the original musical, the plot serves more as a framing device for the songs than a conventional story arc, but we do get a snapshot of this particular moment in each of these artists’ careers. Presley seems a bit lost as he navigates new management and tries to fit into Hollywood, where he’s just debuted in the film “Love Me Tender.” Perkins worries that his career has already peaked, while Cash struggles to balance family life and work. Lewis, mainly played as a comedic role, is the cocky new hotshot on whom Phillips is betting the future of his studio, as the stars he nurtured move on to larger record companies.
Given their different life experiences, it’s surprising to realize how young these four men were at the time, ranging from 21 to 24 years old. This fact seems to inform Sims’ take on Presley — the most interesting choice of this production, from a casting and acting perspective. In contrast to the impossibly charismatic sex object that lives on in pop culture, Sims’ Presley is a baby-faced young man trying to find his way in a bewildering industry, while also dreading the army draft. In short, he comes off as remarkably normal, which is exactly the point that Escott’s book is trying to make.
Though I tend to favor musicals with meatier plots and more original music, I can’t rain too much on the parade of “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas.” Anyone who enjoys this style of music — and, clearly, there are plenty of Chicagoans who do — should have a good time at this upbeat show.
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Review: “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas” (2.5 stars)
When: Through Jan. 4, 2026
Where: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Tickets: $69.98-$98.40 at marriotttheatre.com
