‘Million Dollar Quartet’ to bring audience inside recording studio at new Aurora theater

As soon as audiences step inside Paramount’s new Stolp Island Theatre in downtown Aurora, they’ll feel like they’ve stepped back in time to Dec. 5, 1956 inside Sun Recording Studio in Memphis.

Paramount’s production at the brand-new theatre, “Million Dollar Quartet,” opens July 19 and runs through Dec. 30.

The musical tells the story of the day music legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins came together and recorded one of the most historic jam sessions in rock and roll history. Nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, “Million Dollar Quartet” features some of the biggest and best songs of all time, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Hound Dog” and “Great Balls of Fire.”

“Our 2017 Broadway staging of ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ remains an audience favorite, and has always been one of our top requested shows to ‘bring back,’” said Jim Corti, Paramount artistic director and co-director of “Million Dollar Quartet.” “Not only are we bringing it back, but this new production will be staged in a whole new way, where audiences are going to feel surrounded by amazing musical talent and the dazzling production values they’ve come to expect from Paramount.”

Stolp Island Theatre, Paramount’s third live theater venue in downtown Aurora, is now under construction. At just 98 seats, this unique new space is specifically designed for experiential live theater, meaning “Million Dollar Quartet” will be presented in such a way that the audience will feel they are part of the show.

“When audiences walk inside Stolp Island Theatre, they’ll encounter dramaturgical displays about the history behind one of the most seminal nights in music history,” said Creg Sclavi, project manager supervising construction of Stolp Island Theatre, and co-director. “Making their way through a 1950s downtown Memphis streetscape, they will then step inside a theatrical recreation of Sun Studio, with seats all around. It will feel like Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny and Carl are treating them to a personal, intimate, one-of-a-kind live music experience.”

Show times are Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. though Dec. 30.

Single tickets to Million Dollar Quartet are $65. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call 630-896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.

“Downtown Aurora is already a destination for Broadway-caliber musicals in our beautiful Paramount Theatre, thought-provoking works in our intimate Copley Theatre, and live outdoor concerts at RiverEdge Park,” said Tim Rater, president and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority. “Now, we’re adding an all-new immersive theater experience, right on the Fox River. With Paramount’s commitment to doing more and better, and the city of Aurora’s commitment to the arts and downtown, we are becoming the model that others can look to as to how the performing arts can revitalize a community.”