In December 1956, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins met at the recording studios of Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. And Million Dollar Quartet, at the Noël Coward Theatre, charts this memorable get-together with 100 minutes of rock’n’roll played and sung by a group of four – plus a few extras.

Bill Ward, as Sam Phillips of Sun Records, keeps the narrative going between songs, and there’s much bantering and wise-cracking among the young stars as they vie with each other for the microphone. But the whole show’s really just an excuse to blast out old favourites such as ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, ‘Down by the Riverside’, ‘Great Balls of Fire’ and ‘Memories Are Made of This’.

Ben Goddard as Jerry Lee Lewis is terrific, if not manic, as he bangs out songs on the piano; Michael Malarkey has a fine voice as Elvis; Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash) has a wonderfully gravelly tone, and is particularly good in ‘Walk the Line’; and Carl Perkins – well, to be honest, I don’t know if Robert Britton Lyons is like him, but he sure can sing (it was Perkins who had the original ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ hit before Elvis ‘stole’ it from him).

Any middle-aged rocker will love the energy and sheer fun of the evening – and this one’s twenty-something nephew thought it ‘awesome’, too.…

This musical is finger clickin’ good.

In 1956 four po’ boys from the US Deep South were giving America’s teenagers a first taste of self-expression and rebellion. And for one night only they got together to play.

It really happened. Sun Records’ Sam Phillips had signed newcomers Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. And in loyalty to him, they came back to jam.

Cue 50s hits including Blue Suede Shoes, Folsom Prison Blues, I Hear You Knocking and Great Balls of Fire.

The award-winning American production team and one of the original New York cast, Robert Britton Lyons as guitar supremo Carl Perkins, are joined by Brits Derek Hagen as Johnny Cash, Michael Malarkey as Elvis and a show-stealing Ben Goddard as Jerry Lee Lewis. They sing and play a storm.

All in all, this is rock ‘n’ roll served sunny side up.…

We have had many poppy/rocky tribute evenings in the West End in recent years – too many, or so I thought until Tuesday night at the Noel Coward Theatre, where four sparky lads are recreating a night in the lives of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.

The date is December 4, 1956, and the setting is the small studio of Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.

The company is run by a shrewd, friendly music producer called Sam Phillips (Bill Ward). I don’t know if this will mean much to you, but Mr Ward is a ringer for a Tory backbench MP called David Amess. He delivers a thoughtful, encouraging, proudly independent Phillips.

Sun Kings: Robert Britton Lyons (Perkins), Michael Malarkey (Presley) and Derek Hagen (Cash)

Presley is no longer signed to Sun Records, but he has turned up for a reunion with his former colleagues Cash and Perkins and new boy Lee Lewis, a prodigiously talented pianist and major pain in the backside.

“Boy’s startin’ to grow on you, ain’t he, John?’ Perkins says sarcastically to Cash. ‘Yeah,’ replies Cash. ‘Like a tick on a dog.’

All four musicians owe their careers to Phillips. No wonder the man is hailed at the end as ‘the father of rock and roll’.

Killer: Ben Goddard as piano pounder Jerry Lee Lewis

They have a jam session. The songs, including Blue Suede Shoes, Riders In The Sky, See You Later Alligator and Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, are pumped out with amazing verve.

Ben Goddard doesn’t just play Jerry Lee Lewis. He hurls himself into the role – at the same time hammering out notes on the piano like a man with ten rivet-guns for fingers.

His knees and feet keep lifting to the …