At long last, I am finally starting rehearsals for Million Dollar Quartet at Paramount Aurora’s new Stolp Island Theater. Years ago I had the joy of playing Elvis at Theatre at the Center, but this time around I’ll be understudying both Elvis and Carl Perkins. Let’s just say I’ve been putting in a bit of time with my electric guitar since 2019.

We’ve got an incredibly talented cast, and I can’t wait to start jamming. I can only imagine what it will feel like in this new space, but the renderings on the Paramount website have got me quite excited. It looks like it’s going to be a fully immersive experience for audiences as they arrive. I’ll have more updates as the process goes forward.

It’s weird, my entire theatrical upbringing seemed to highlight the importance of training as an actor/singer/dancer, but I’ve found that as a working professional, there is a strong divide between what it means to be an “actor” and being a “musician.” I wish that my education had been structured to include a little more integration between these two worlds, because most of the work I’ve done over the last five or six years has involved my musicianship in a way I never anticipated. The Fortunate Sons have introduced me to the live music industry, which is completely different from theater, and at the same time, the last decade of musical theater has seen a huge increase in actors playing instruments on stage. Is it a budget thing? Probably, but there’s something to be said for having an instrumental skill. I’d put it on par with voice lessons, to be honest.

Either way, come see MDQ. It’s going to be fantastic.