Oct. 19--After more than seven years and nearly 3,000 performances at the Apollo Theater, "Million Dollar Quartet" finally is leaving the building -- and the city that made the show a hugely profitable hit.
The jukebox show, which re-creates the night that Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash all jammed together at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio in 1956, was first seen in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre in the summer of 2008. But the majority of its run has been at the Apollo on Chicago's North Side; without "Million Dollar Quartet" that theater would likely have closed, but now has been renovated.
After catching on in Chicago, "Million Dollar Quartet" subsequently jammed on Broadway and still is playing at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas. There's also an ongoing national tour, along with a production in Branson, Mo., that opened this summer. In November, a production will open on the Norwegian Cruise Line's ship Norwegian Escape.
In a statement Monday, lead producer Gigi Pritzker described the Chicago run as "success beyond our wildest imaginings." The final Chicago performance is slated for Jan. 17 at the Apollo, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.
