A familiar face has returned to Theatre Calgary! Thom Allison is back, but this time as the director of the award-winning hit musical, Million Dollar Quartet. A favourite to Theatre Calgary audiences, Thom has lit up our stage numerous times, including The Louder We Get, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Evita, Cabaret, and Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill. In between those productions, he has appeared on Broadway in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and in the original Canadian companies of Miss Saigon, The Who’s Tommy and Rent. On TV, you’ve probably seen him on Frankie Drake Mysteries, Hudson & Rex, Murdoch Mysteries, Kim’s Convenience, and in his Canadian Screen Award-winning role of “Pree” on Killjoys.

Directing Million Dollar Quartet has given Thom a great opportunity to not only tell the true story of the legendary one-night jam session of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, but also to take a deeper look at the names and faces of some of the artists who inspired or wrote the songs that have been cemented in music history.

“I read the script and I fell in love with these boys. I became fascinated by the origins and evolution of Rock n’ Roll, and each gentleman’s connection to the music. Each grew up dirt poor in the US Deep South, living among poor Black populations, hearing Gospel and Blues music all around them, which they would then sing and play around their homes,” says Allison. “As a Black director, I was deeply moved that these white boys from the south were so spiritually inspired as young people by the Black music they grew up hearing. Perkins, Lewis, Cash and Presley would not have become who they became without the groundbreaking talents of a Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a Howlin’ Wolf, a Chuck Berry, a Jackie Wilson, a Ruth Brown, or a Little Richard. This production is a celebration of Rock n’ Roll, and the Black music and musicians whose shoulders it stands upon.”

We also asked Thom some fun questions about what has made him the artist he is today:

What was the first play or musical you remember seeing?
The first one I really remember seeing was My Fair Lady at Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg. It starred Sharry Flett as Eliza and remember her being perfection.

What was the first show you ever performed in?
The Tale of the Red Dragon at Actor's Showcase in Winnipeg, back in 1983.

What’s your favourite play?
Certainly, one would be Hedda Gabler. I find her so enigmatic of a character. I'm fascinated by her inner world.

What play or musical do you dream of directing?
I've got fun and killer ideas for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Sondheim's Into The Woods!

Are there three things you cannot live without?
Moisturizer, Jazz music, and laughter!

If you could listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Lamp Is Low - Marilyn Maye.

Million Dollar Quartet runs at Theatre Calgary from April 26 - May 22, 2022. Get your tickets now at theatrecalgary.com.

Photo by Trudie Lee Photography.