What's Up, Elizabeth Stanley? The Babe in the Million Dollar Boys' Club on Who Rocks Her World

Elizabeth Stanley made her Broadway debut as sweet April in the 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, then immediately switched gears to star as innocent rockabilly babe Allison in the 2008 musical adaptation of John Waters’ Cry-Baby. She’s now returning to those rock roots to star opposite Eddie Clendening, Lance Guest, Levi Kreis, Rob Lyons and Hunter Foster in Million Dollar Quartet, the musical retelling of a famous real-life meeting between Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins back in 1956. We rung up Stanley to see how she’s faring as Dyanne, the lone woman onstage, and to get her take on modern tunes.

So, what’s it like being the bombshell in this boys’ club of a show?
It’s really fun! The whole show has such a different vibe because it's rock musicians playing live onstage. Whenever you’re doing a Broadway show you’re working with a live orchestra, but they’re not onstage with you. I feel like a rock star, which is a guilty pleasure. Who doesn’t want to be a rock star?

Is it rough being the only girl?
It’s cool, actually. The whole cast is fun to be around, and I’m so inspired by them. I have a lot of close girlfriends in my life, which is important to me, so I’m thankful I’m not the only girl—my dresser and one of our stage managers are female. But overall it’s been a nice shift for me. I’m so used to being surrounded by women and gay men that being one of the guys is new!

The show is based on an actual event, but your character wasn’t technically “there.” Tell us about Dyanne.
The event itself took place in December 1956 when Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins ended up jamming together in Sun Recording Studios in Memphis. Elvis did bring a woman to that gathering—he was home for the holidays with this girl Marilyn, who he met while he was doing his show in Vegas. She was a singer there as well, but not someone who went on to become famous. There’s a photo of the four men at the studio that day, and she’s actually in it—she’s just been cropped out! My character is based off her. I got to fill in the details, since we don’t know much.

Were you a fan of Elvis or the other singers coming in?
I wasn’t a die-hard fan of any of them, but it speaks for both the show and the artists that even if you’re not a die-hard, you still love those songs. I may not play them every day on my iPod, but when one comes on you automatically go, "I love this song!"

What is on your iPod?
Honestly? I’m not just saying this. I downloaded Where I Belong, the album of my co-star Levi [Kreis], who plays Jerry Lee Lewis, and I can’t stop listening to it! It’s so good. I literally have it on repeat. But I’m a big female folk junkie—Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell; Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson are on there. And I’ll admit I love Beyonce and Justin Timberlake. My taste is eclectic but in no way obscure.

If you woke up tomorrow and could be any rock star, who would you want to be?
India.Arie? I’m really drawn to a gospel-soul kind of sound and to lyrics that say something. So I want to be someone like her, please!

Between Cry-Baby and this show you’ve got experience with this time period. What's the key to being the ultimate rockabilly babe?
I love this question! One of the things you have to remember is “less is more.” Vocally, that means it’s about simple music, rather than how many riffs or how much vocal pyrotechnics you can cram into one song. Less is more also applies to blatant sexuality. A rockabilly girl is herself and is flirty, but keeps that a little reeled in. If you watch YouTube videos from that time, which is so fun, you see that women were more refined, which was a little more sexy.

Let’s give the rockabilly/classic rock newbies a lesson. What are the “must listen” songs from that era?
Oh gosh, that’s too hard. I am really drawn to the Jerry Lee Lewis stuff. So let's go with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On.” I was inspired by Wanda Jackson, the Rockabilly Queen. She does a song called “Hot Dog That Made Him Mad” which is cute—but more important is that she’s been described as the sweet lady with the nasty voice, so she’s important to know. And Elvis’ “Hound Dog.” I sang it for my audition, and it’s one of the biggest hits of all time.

Final question. Who would the modern day “Million Dollar Quartet” be?
I’ve been thinking about this, actually. I wonder who the modern day equivalent of Elvis would be, and the closest thing I can think of is Justin Timberlake. He’s a little bad boy, but he’s also a good boy. He’s also a mover and shaker, literally—a great dancer, which Elvis was. So there’s J.T. Then we need someone a little folksy, like Johnny Cash, so maybe Jack Johnson? We need someone like Jay-Z from the R&B world. And then fill in someone like Michael Buble as the crooner.

Justin Timberlake, Jack Johnson, Jay-Z and Michael Buble? I’d be curious to hear that.
Me too! Let’s get it happening!