Million Dollar Quartet @ Stolp Island Theatre, Aurora, Illinois

Four Legends. One Night. Music History Made. On December 4, 1956, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins had a chance encounter at Sun Records Studio in Memphis. You may have loved Million Dollar Quartet in 2017 at Paramount Theatre – now imagine it set in Sun Studio itself. The new Stolp Island Theatre was designed to immerse you in the experience so you can say “I was there!”

There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on at downtown Aurora's new Stolp Island Theatre 

As soon as audiences step inside Stolp Island Theatre, they’ll feel like they’ve stepped back in time to December 5, 1956, inside the Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where music legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins came together and recorded one of the most historic jam sessions in rock and roll history. Nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Million Dollar Quartet features some of the biggest and best songs of all time, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Hound Dog” and “Great Balls of Fire.”

Stolp Island Theatre is located at 5 E. Downer Place Suite G, facing the Fox River in downtown Aurora. It’s just a block and a half from Paramount Theatre, the 1,888-seat Art Deco palace, home to Paramount’s blockbuster Broadway Series and the largest subscription base in the nation, and the 165-seat Copley Theatre, where Paramount presents its BOLD Series of more intimate works.

“Our 2017 Broadway staging of Million Dollar Quartet remains an audience favorite, and has always been one of our top requested shows to ‘bring back,’” said Jim Corti, Paramount Artistic Director and co-director of Million Dollar Quartet. “Not only are we bringing it back, but this new production will be staged in a whole new way, where audiences are going to feel surrounded by amazing musical talent and the dazzling production values they’ve come to expect from Paramount.” 

Talk about popular demand: when tickets went on sale in May, the first four weeks of shows sold out in 30 minutes. The first eight weeks sold out in less than 48 hours. The day after tickets went on sale to the general public, due to box office demand, Paramount announced an extension through the end of the year, December 29, 2024.

“Aurora is already a destination for Broadway-caliber musicals at Paramount Theatre, our BOLD Series in our intimate Copley Theatre, and live outdoor concerts at RiverEdge Park,” said Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority. “Now, we’re adding an all-new theater experience, just a block away, right on the Fox River. With Paramount’s commitment to doing more and better, and the City of Aurora’s commitment to the arts and downtown, we are the model that others can look to as to how the performing arts can revitalize a community.”