Goodness Gracious

Martin Kaye captures Jerry Lee Lewis’ quirky style in Million Dollar Quartet.

Photograph By Robert John Kley

“These fingers of mine have brains in them. Jerry Lee is raising the bar. Every day in every way,” says the reedy Martin Kaye, who portrays Jerry Lee Lewis in the Tony® Award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

The interjections are typical of the smart-alecky piano player’s remarks throughout the show. The confident Lewis is, as Kaye describes, a “wise guy.” Lewis was a talented up-andcomer who at just 19-years-old found himself in a room—the Sun Records studio in Memphis, to be exact—with superstars Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. What resulted was a legendary jam session that is now immortalized in Million Dollar Quartet.

“This show is four friends just jamming,” explains Kaye of the once-in-a-lifetime meeting of this fab four. “The music is organic. We’re playing live every night, so there is remarkable energy.”