Review: ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION at North Shore Music Theatre

The life and legend of Elvis Presley have been well chronicled in numerous TV movies and feature films over the years, including the just-released feature “Priscilla,” but efforts to bring the King of Rock ’n’ Roll to the theatrical stage have been less fruitful.

Indeed, only two shows about Presley have made it to Broadway – 2005’s mostly abysmal “All Shook Up,” which used his hits to tell a fictionalized story, and 2010’s “Million Dollar Quartet,” a far more enjoyable jukebox musical about a 1956 recording session that brought Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis together in a Sun Records studio, which is slated for the 2023–24 season at Bill Hanney's North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) in Beverly.

But there may be hope yet for an all-Elvis stage success as NSMT is currently presenting a truly terrific production of the brand new  “Elvis: A Musical Revolution” – the first show authorized by the Elvis Presley estate, with book by Sean Cercone and David Abbinanti and based on a concept by Floyd Mutrux – which recently began making the rounds at regional theaters.

The concept by Mutrux, who co-wrote the book for “Million Dollar Quartet,” blends with the well researched book by Cercone and Abbinanti to present a mostly linear approach to the story of a white boy from a predominantly black neighborhood in Tupelo, Mississippi, who, inspired by the gospel and blues music that surrounded him, went on to become the leading American rock singer of the 20th century.

Essential to any good show about Presley, of course, is the actor who plays him. Over the years, in TV movies and feature films, that roster has included everyone from Kurt Russell, Don Johnson, and Dale Midkiff to Val Kilmer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Austin Butler.

As Elvis at NSMT, Dan Berry captures the singer’s swagger and swiveling hips as well as his many complexities, making for a richly nuanced portrayal that channels Presley’s smoldering performance style that never failed to leave his legion of fans swooning.

This is never more evident than in Berry’s enormously appealing renditions of “That’s All Right,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” Berry winningly conveys Presley’s unmistakable magnetism throughout. Whether he’s paired with Alaina Mills, as the hair-whipping Ann-Margret, on act two’s sexually charged “You’re the Boss,” or soloing on “Hard Headed Woman” or “A Little Less Conversation,” Berry is quite simply sensational.

Whether or not Presley’s musical inspiration resulted in cultural appropriation has long been the subject of discussion and debate. This show suggests that his use of black music was organic, depicting him as growing up friendly with African Americans and respectful of their music. The gospel and blues genres are shown off in all their own magnificence, especially by Michael Olaribigbe as Roy Brown and Nichole Forde as Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Director and choreographer Kevin P. Hill leads the versatile 39-member company smoothly through various stages of Presley’s life, deftly moving the action between heartbreaking and heart racing moments that come from the production’s spectacular musical numbers. Hill clearly knows the material and the players well, and he merges them with impressive results. Co-music directors Milton Granger and Robert L. Rucinski and a nine-piece band also help keep the pace.

One of the show’s stand-out production numbers is act two’s “Movie Medley,” a cleverly written look at the toll taken on both Presley and his career by his many forgettable films. Another interesting and very satisfying moment comes when Presley wins over rock skeptic Frank Sinatra, played with Old Blue Eyes’ patented swing by Bronson Norris Murphy, during the pair’s duet on a medley of “Love Me Tender” and “Witchcraft.”

Helping set just the right mood for each situation are Kyle Dixon’s period-appropriate sets, Travis M. Grant’s memory-evoking costumes that seem to have come straight from the closets at Graceland, and Jack Mehler’s spot-on lighting.

In his 63rd NSMT production, David Coffee leaves yet another indelible mark on a role – as he has for nearly 30 years as Scrooge in NSMT’s “A Christmas Carol” – this time as the dubious Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s longtime Svengali-like manager whose many manipulations are the stuff of legend.

Kid Elvis – played on press night by the very able Asher Stern and at some performances by Patrick Naughton – is integral to the story, and Cercone and Abbinanti weave the character seamlessly throughout.

Also providing good scene work in supporting roles are the always entertaining Mary Callanan, who imbues Presley’s mother, Gladys, with warmth and tenderness, and the dependable Kevin B. McGlynn as the superstar’s not-always-stalwart father, Vernon. Emma Wilcox is also affecting as the King’s young love, turned young bride, Priscilla.

In the end, however, any Elvis Presley show has to be about the music. This one’s got that covered and serves as a splendidly rendered exploration of just what made Elvis one of the most significant cultural figures of his time.

Photo caption: Dan Berry as Elvis Presley in "Elvis – A Musical Revolution," at North Shore Music Theatre through November 12, 2023. Photo © David Costa Photography.

To post a comment, you must register and login.