Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Opens the Electrifying Rock 'n' Roll Musical Million Dollar Quartet
National tour veterans reunite after hundreds of performances to recreate one of rock 'n' roll history's most legendary jam sessions
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) kicks off the Main Stage season of its 2026 Summer Theatre Series and celebrates its landmark 35th anniversary with the long-awaited musical Million Dollar Quartet, running now through June 28 at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.
Directed by Jim Helsinger, Artistic Director of Orlando Shakespeare Theater and a longtime favorite of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival audiences as both a director and actor, the production reunites a cast of actor-musicians who have performed Million Dollar Quartet in regional theaters, national tours, and cruise productions across the country. Several cast members have portrayed these iconic musicians hundreds of times, bringing to the Lehigh Valley a rare musical chemistry developed through years of performing these roles.
Million Dollar Quartet tells the true story of one extraordinary night at Sun Records in Memphis, when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis gathered for an impromptu jam session on December 4, 1956. Guided by legendary producer Sam Phillips, the evening became one of the most celebrated moments in rock 'n' roll history.
The musical captures these artists at pivotal moments in their young careers: Presley balancing fame and artistic freedom, Cash searching for his voice, Perkins chasing the success of “Blue Suede Shoes,” and Lewis exploding onto the scene with his wild piano style. At the center of it all is Phillips, the visionary producer whose eye for talent helped shape the sound of American music.
The score features more than 20 rock 'n' roll classics, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Walk the Line,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Hound Dog,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”
PSF’s production stars seasoned performer-musicians whose careers have been steeped in the music and storytelling of Million Dollar Quartet.
Million Dollar Quartet runs now through June 28. Tickets may be purchased online at pashakespeare.org, by phone at 610.282.WILL (9455), or in-person at the box office.
The production sponsors are Lee & Dolly Butz and Alvin H. Butz Construction; the co-sponsors are Diefenderfer Electrical Contractors, Fitzpatrick, Lentz, & Bubba Attorneys at Law, and The Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation; and the acting co-sponsor is Klunk & Millan Advertising.
The 2026 Season Sponsors are Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E. Nolan. Associate Season Sponsors include Air Products; Mary Bongiorno; The Jeff Hunter Charitable Trust; Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth; Yvonne Payne and Edward Spitzer; The Szarko Family; and Harry C. Trexler Trust.
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's 2026 Summer Theatre Series, themed "Legends and Legacy," celebrates the Festival's 35th anniversary and 30 years as the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Running now through August 2, the full season lineup can be found here at pashakespeare.org