CheekyChicago

Kelly Lamont and Levi Kreis kick some major rock-n-roll butt in the new musical, Million Dollar Quartet, at the Goodman Theatre. Kelly hits a hot note as Dyanne, Elvis’ smokin’ girlfriend and Levi Kreis rocks it as Jerry Lee Lewis. Not only are they excellent performers, but they’re really cool, down-to-earth people. Read below to find out why:

Cheeky: We Cheekies love going out to eat. What’s your favorite restaurant in Chicago?

Levi Kries: There’s this one place on Roscoe called Four Moon Tavern – that’s the one and only night I’ve been out.

Kelly Lamont: I’m a Chicago girl, so I gotta say Giordano’s. My favorite pizza in the city. Yummy!

Cheeky: Are you working on anything else outside of this show?

LK: I have my own album being released on January 27, 2009 so when I’m not working on the show, I have a lot of preparation for that. That’s the reason I don’t go out much these days!

Cheeky: An album! Tell us more…

LK: This will be my junior release, my third album – the title of it is ”Where I Belong” and I began recording it after our Million Dollar Quartet run in Seattle. Having revisited this role for the first time in a long time, it was really exciting to find that it reintroduced me to my roots. I’m sure you can tell from my accent, I’m never really far away from them. But, I never really found that my own writing embraced the gospel, country and bluesy roots I grew up with. For me, it’s the first album that’s really true to who I am and represents me more clearly and more precisely than any album I’ve had. I’m very excited about it; it’s very piano-based, lighthearted and a lot of fun.

Cheeky: Levi, why do you want to meet Oprah?

LK: I want to meet Oprah because she happens to be one of those few people who have inspired me to do what I do for a greater purpose. She inspires me to take my talent and actually commit to saying something with it rather than just playing. All of us have a very specific gift and they’re all different – mine happens to be music. But when we approach that gift out of a sense of service and not an ego stroke, we realize that the opportunities to use our gift seem to open further and further. I love that about her and how she’s used her ability to serve the world around her.

Cheeky: What’s your favorite song in the show and why?

LK: “Real Wild Child.”

KL: “Let’s Have a Party.” It really is the climax of the show. The group is really together at this point, everyone is having fun and the characters are all getting along. And everyone is involved – even Sam Phillips, the producer.

Cheeky: You are each playing real, historical characters. What kind of research did you do to best help you portray Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis’ then-girlfriend?

LK: From a musical standpoint, it wasn’t very hard because I grew up with Jerry Lee Lewis’ music and playing the piano in his style. Musically speaking, it’s my history – it’s who I am, having grown up in Tennessee. From that standpoint, I feel like I was made to play this role. From an acting standpoint, I had to go back and look at his life. The cool thing about this is that I‘m capturing a very youthful moment in his career, before it all really started. I kind of get to keep him young and fresh. The director also encouraged us not to be too mimick-y with the characters – ya know, stay away from that Branson, Missouri-type impersonator. They wanted us to capture the essence of these legends without impersonating, which is actually very freeing.

KL: My character, Dyanne, is based on a woman name Marilyn Evans. In my research, I found she was a show-girl from Vegas and had only been dating Elvis for a brief time. In the show, Dyanne is an aspiring singer from California – which I can relate to completely. She really was there that day, Dec. 4, 1956, but she is a bit of a mystery because she was never heard from again after that night.

Cheeky: What’s the most challenging aspect of the show for you?

LK: Physical endurance. To wrangle the piano like that is definitely a physical challenge.

KL: Being part of a band, but making sure the spotlight is truly on the quartet and the music. I have been professionally singing most of my life, so I am used to the grueling aspect of having to sing your ass off every night.

Cheeky: Levi, what happened with jumping over that darn piano?

LK: We were running the show in Seattle last year and, during the encore, I used to vault over the piano. I tore my ACL and just had to have reconstructive surgery in March. I have to be real careful with my knee. There will be no vaulting over pianos anymore.

Cheeky: Has there been a crazy/unusual/funny audience reaction thus far?

LK: I love that we have people jumping up and dancing around, but what I REALLY love is when the girls get up and shake it! When they can get up, look right at us and just shake it – it always encourages us to take the encore even further, which is so much fun. That’s what’s so great about this show – we have an opportunity in the encore to interact without a script. It’s so much fun.

KL: There was also that one night where, at the end of the show, a photo is projected on the wall and this woman screamed out “Wow!” and the whole audience immediately busted out laughing.

Cheeky: Do you consider yourself more of a singer, actor or musician? Which craft do you relate to the most?

LK: I consider myself more of a musician – I’ve been doing that longer than anything. I’ve been playing the piano since I was six, so there’s just no comparison. I’ve played more than I’ve done anything else in my life; it’s second nature – sort of like playing Jerry Lee Lewis. I was playing ”Great Balls of Fire” when I was 12.

KL: I definitely consider myself a singer more than anything else. Singing is my biggest passion.

Cheeky: Levi, speaking of that accent, where are you from originally?

LK: Oliver Springs, Tennessee. Graduated in a class of five people. I was valedictorian with a C average.

Cheeky: And Kelly – what’s this rumor we heard about Craigslist?

KL: I found a very obscure audition notice on Craigslist that said “Female Singer Wanted.” I replied, auditioned, made the call back and here I am. Go Craigslist! I should be a spokesperson for them.

Cheeky: What do you find is most important for the audience to take away from this story/genre/time period?

LK: There’s a deeper experience to the show than just being entertained. The audience is going to find out a lot about the personal interactions of these legends – stuff that they’ve probably never heard of before. The interrelationships between these four boys are pretty interesting.

KL: This was truly an incredible moment in time for music as we know it today. Rock-n-roll was considered a fad at the time. It was just beginning with these men. The beautiful thing about the show is that it really does appeal to everyone, not only those who lived during this time, but to everyone. The music is infectious, the audience really gets involved. It is actually a really special show, something I have never experienced and probably never will again.

Cheeky: So, you’re moving to the Apollo for an extended run. What Chicago adventures are on your to-do list?

LK: Besides survive the winter cold…? I can’t wait to learn more about this city. And I want to try Japonais.

Cheeky: Good choice. What about you, Kelly?

KL: Well, I will definitely be hitting up some coffee houses and, um…pubs. I have been known to be a bit of a party girl….one thing you should know about me is I love my whiskey and beer as much as I love my coffee, no matter what season it is. (Laughs)

Cheeky: (Laughs back) You are our kind of cheeky chick!

Million Dollar Quartet runs at the Goodman Theatre through October 26. It will move to the Apollo Theatre beginning October 31 and running until January 4. Don’t miss CheekyChicago’s full review of the show next week in the Drama Section. And, most of all – don’t miss the show! These two stars are a sight to see.