Review: ALL SHOOK UP Searches for Love with the Music of Elvis Presley

The iconic music of Elvis Presley inspired writer Joe Dipietro to create a musical set in 1955 utilizing the rock 'n roll star's songs. The bottom line with Elvis's music is that it makes a lot of people very happy, even 50 years after it was recorded. And Dipietro thought, what other type of entertainment form does that? And that's when he came up with the Shakespeare comedies, which are very much about love and finding your joy, marriage, passion, and all the good stuff of life. And of course, frequent cases of mistaken identity!

Elvis was a white guy singing rhythm and blues music for the first time, which really helped R&B cross over into mainstream white America. In ALL SHOOK UP, this music unleashes the uptightness of these people in small town America and certainly applies to inter-racial as well as same-sex dating. It's all about loving someone no matter who they are, and while this seems commonplace today, it certainly was not the case in 1955 in small town America where the fight against integrating schools often led to violence.

The musical is very reminiscent of Bye Bye Birdie in that a motorcycle riding roustabout hits town just when many high school students are looking for love - or at least a new person to call their own. With every gyration of his hips and lip sneer, Chad makes girls swoon thanks to Christopher Paul Tiernan II who combines just the right amount of Elvis swagger and youthful energy without stooping to impersonation. The young woman after his heart, Natalie, is a grease monkey in her father's garage.

But since Chad has his eyes on the more mature and sexual Miss Sandra (Alicia Reynolds who burns up the stage), Natalie disguises herself as Ed so she can be just one of the guys who hangs out with Chad as his "assistant," usurping that role from nerdy Dennis (Paul Luoma), the young man in love with Natalie until their mutual love of Shakespeare leads him into the arms of Miss Sandra. Fifteen-year-old Zoe D'Andrea handles the challenge of playing Natalie the lovesick teen and the testosterone filled Ed to perfection with her lovely voice lending an air of sweetness to her every song. But when Chad falls for Ed, her plan to catch him goes comically astray.

And so it goes with many star-crossed lovers falling for the wrong person, creating love triangles just as complicated as any in modern-day soap operas. There's Natalie's father Jim (Larry Gesling) who also thinks he is in love with Miss Sandra, overlooking café owner Sylvia (Brittney S. Wheeler, whose soulful belting lifted the roof during "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" and her solo "There's Always Me"), the woman in love with him. And then there's Sylvia's daughter Lorraine (Flynn Hayward whose energetic performance is a joy to watch) who falls for the Mayor's son Dean (Joseph Monsour) whose mother opposes inter-racial dating. And when will the prejudiced Mayor Hyde finally realize her long-suffering Sherriff Earl (Matthew Artson, resplendent in uniform and dark glasses) is in love with her?

Each of these relationships is expressed through Elvis' songs from "Love Me Tender" to Don't Be Cruel" and a push me-pull you duet combination of "Hound Dog" and "Teddy Bear" among many other Elvis hits. All the while, the hard-working ensemble dances up a storm, reminding us exactly why Elvis' music spoke to a generation learning to open their sights to new possibilities while feeling comfortable with their own beliefs on how to live their lives.

While the acting ensemble is first rate with high energy levels throughout thanks to direction by Nell Teare, musical direction by Anne Gesling and choreography by Teare and Kristi Slager, there were many technical problems on opening night, especially with the lighting that often left featured singers in the dark. And without miking the singers, perhaps the recorded background music can be a bit softer, allowing all of the words to be heard as all it took was for an actor to turn his/her head for the words to disappear. But even that did not seem to matter since the innate joy of the music had the audience clapping along during several lively numbers.

ALL SHOOK UP continues through April 2 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica, CA 90405. Reserved seats start at $28 online at www.morgan-wixson.org or call the box office at 310-828-7519. This family-friendly musical is appropriate for all ages, but be forewarned the sexual energy and tension is always present.

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