A single night at a Memphis recording studio nearly seven decades ago is getting a fresh staging in South Oklahoma City this fall, as the touring tribute show One Night in Memphis brings the music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins to the Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater at Oklahoma City Community College on October 9. The 7:30 pm show is scheduled for OCCC.
The production recreates the impromptu December 4, 1956 jam session at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, the only time the four rock and roll pioneers ever recorded together, according to Sun Records. Sun Records describes the session that followed Elvis Presley dropping by the studio while Carl Perkins was recording. The following day, a Memphis Press-Scimitar article by journalist Robert Johnson included a George Pierce photo caption whose first three lines used the phrase “Million Dollar Quartet,” while Johnson's column estimated what the four musicians' salaries would have been and ended by saying the quartet could sell a million, according to South Coast Repertory. Photographer George Pierce captured the iconic image of the four at the piano that ran alongside that original news report, South Coast Repertory notes.
From Broadway to a Bus Tour Stopping in South Oklahoma City
One Night in Memphis is billed as a tribute celebrating the Sun Records icons, according to KGOU, and it features former cast members of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet, per KGOU's listing. That Broadway production opened in 2010, ran for 489 performances, and earned three Tony nominations, according to Musical Theatre Moments. KGOU's listing also states the show has a history of sold-out performances, rave reviews, and a nationwide fan base, and cites the San Francisco Examiner calling it an amazing show.
The touring production was created and directed by John Mueller, per the same KGOU listing. The resort's account also describes Mueller's role in John Mueller's Winter Dance Party, an official live and authentic recreation of the final tour of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper endorsed by the estates that has played to over 2 million people nationwide, according to Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino. Mueller also played Buddy Holly in the U.S. national tour of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” the resort's account notes.
Ninety Minutes of Live Rockabilly, No Backing Tracks
Structurally, the show unfolds chronologically, opening with Carl Perkins performing rockabilly hits before he invites Jerry Lee Lewis to the stage, followed by individual sets from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, according to Bicoastal Productions. The setlist includes songs such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Great Balls of Fire,” per Bicoastal Productions. A live rockabilly backup band performs more than 90 minutes of rock, country, and gospel music entirely live without pre-recorded tracks, according to Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino.
As of July 2025, industry touring data compiled by Bicoastal Productions showed the production averaging 915 tickets sold per show with an average gross of $43,334 per performance, offering a snapshot of the tour's commercial pull as it continues moving through theaters and performing arts centers nationwide.
A Mid-Sized Stage With a Long Community College Track Record
The OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater seats 1,049 people and hosts the college's annual Performing Arts Series, according to Oklahoma City Community College.
Oklahoma City Community College was founded in 1972 and now serves more than 18,000 credit-seeking students across 87 degree and certificate programs, according to the college. The theater is located at 7777 S May Ave in Oklahoma City, and tickets or questions can be directed to the box office at 405-682-7579 or [email protected], per KGOU's listing. The production has played theaters and performing arts centers nationwide.
