‘Million Dollar Quartet’ star staging a benefit for a cause close to his heart

Marc D. Donovan has always served as the orator in “Million Dollar Quartet,” the onstage narrator who sings nary a lick but sure talks a good game.

Though not a vocalist or musician, Donovan’s character, Sun Records chief Sam Phillips, is instrumental to the musical’s plot: the man behind the console who brought together Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis on Dec. 4, 1956, and captured their historic jam on tape.

“MDQ” closes at Harrah’s on Sunday, the 60th anniversary of the session that inspired the stage play. Members of Phillips’ family, including son Jerry Phillips, will be on hand for the final night of the show.

The musical opened at Harrah’s in February 2013. Among the four principal performers who launched the show on the Strip, only Donovan and Rob Lyons (as Perkins) are still with the production and will be on stage for the finale.

But in something of an unlikely twist, Donovan — who sings only with the ensemble at the end of “MDQ” — will be the first cast member to perform a full solo show after the production goes dark. He is heading up “Christmas Crooner” on Dec. 18 at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas.

Though not displayed in “MDQ,” Donovan has a resonant baritone that lends itself to holiday classics performed by the likes of Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra and others. His guest stars will include “MDQ” cast mate Justin Shandor (who plays Elvis in the show), former “Jersey Boys” principal performer Graham Fenton (who toggled the Frankie Valli role with Travis Cloer), Vegas jazz great Michelle Johnson and the Swing City Dolls vocal ensemble, all backed by the 13-piece Smokin’ Joe Escriba Big Band.

The show is a benefit for the Las Vegas charity Foster Change, which is a passion project for Donovan and wife Jennifer. The Donovans have been attempting to adopt a child since moving to Las Vegas when the show opened. They have worked through the state’s foster-care apparatus, spending 10 weeks attending classes to earn certification as foster parents in 2014.

The process is noble, fulfilling and frequently heartbreaking.

“We had been attempting to start a family for the last 3½ years, but it didn’t happen for us naturally and we looked at foster care as a good way to go,” Donovan says. “You can foster to adopt, and we have been in the system doing that for the past 2-2½ years.”

Donovan succinctly describes the process as “an emotional roller coaster with some incredibly positive experiences, but also some heartbreaking ones as well, including taking children into our home and then having to say goodbye.”

In this process, the Donovans fostered a baby just four days after her birth, carting her home and caring for her as if she were their own daughter for seven months. Unexpectedly, but within the law, a biological relative — the girl’s great aunt — notified officials that she wanted to parent the child herself.

“It was absolutely devastating. I’m not going to mince words about it. We were the only family she knew, and we thought we were on the road to adoption, but that’s how the system works,” Donovan says. “We can honestly say that it was the right thing to do, even if it is tough not to see the child grow up, but someone in her family will see her grow up.”

The Donovans called the little girl Selma.

Undeterred, they returned to the pool and are now fostering a little boy named Oscar. He’s 15 months old and the couple are tantalizingly close to full adoption. They cannot show any family photos just yet, though they are certainly a family unit. The Donovans have been posting photos of the family’s six feet, with Jennifer writing, “Since he isn’t officially ours just yet, we can’t show you his face. But trust us, he’s really, really cute.”

“He’s been with us almost the entire time. We’re not completely out of the woods yet, but we hope to adopt him in the near future,” Donovan says. “This is why I’m doing this show, because there are not enough families to care for these kids who can fall between the cracks in the system. There are not enough families, not enough parents, to help all these kids in foster care. What Foster Change does is help families like ours face the challenges and also inspire people to open their hearts and homes to these children.”

Happily, the Donovans are nearing Gotcha Day.”

“That’s what adoptive families fondly call the adoption court date, when everything is final,” Donovan says. “It’s just a matter of the rest of the legal process playing out, and hopefully it will be in the near future.”

There are no guarantees, of course, but Donovan is keeping the faith.

“Everything we’ve been through will be worthwhile on ‘Gotcha Day,’ ” he says, grinning. “I can’t imagine life without Oscar, and I don’t think of him as anything other than my son. It’s a been a rough road, but I wouldn’t have it be any other way.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in the A section and Friday in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on KUNV-FM, 91.5, and appears at 11 a.m. Wednesday with Dayna Roselli on KTNV-TV, Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter and @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.