By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Early last fall I encountered Jo Beth Gonzalez at Grounds and I asked her what the spring musical was. She responded “All Shook Up.” I was visibly unimpressed. No, she said, it’s a good show, and the kids are excited.
On Tuesday night, I stopped by the Performing Arts Center to watch a dress rehearsal.
No surprise. Gonzalez, the maven of high school drama, was right. She is the expert.
“All Shook Up,” featuring songs performed by Elvis Presley with book by Joe DePietro will be on the Performing Arts Center stage Thursday, April 10, Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $16 and $13 for students and seniors. Click for tickets.
The show’s plot draws loosely from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and his other comedies without the twins. But familiarity with those classics is not necessary, though the references demonstrate how ageless certain comic tropes are.
We begin with Chad, a roustabout, (Dylan Haught) in county jail, singing “Jailhouse Rock” showing he can get a party going anywhere.
Chad is a wanderer with a penchant for music and a magnetism that draws in females. This is a case of boy meets girl, and girl swoons until, that is, when boy meets a woman who is immune to his charms. Then he swoons.
This is a tale of unrequited crushes is set to a soundtrack of songs made famous by Elvis Presley. Those tunes were popular in their grandparents time get revived and invigorated by an enthusiastic cast.
After his release from jail Chad rides on his motorcycle into a town where starting a party seems even harder. Right before he makes his appearance, the downcast residents sing “Heartbreak Hotel” in the local honky tonk.
Chad fixes the jukebox, and the young female inhabitants fix their sights on him. That includes Natalie (Morgan Hoffman), an ace mechanic who works in her widowed father’s garage. Seems like a girl who can repair motorcycles would be a good match for a guy on the move.
That’s a blow to Dennis (Aidan Thomas) a nerd, who is short in stature and even shorter in self-esteem. He has a crush on Natalie.
Within a few scenes, the romantic dynamics are set up with Dean (Eddie Lyons) and Lorraine (Calista Motisher) pairing off, much to the chagrin of his mother, the mayor.
Matilda Hyde (Mona Foreman) rules the town with a firm self-righteous fist, having issued the Mamie Eisenhower Decency Act. This edict forbids “loud music, public necking, and tight pants” — Chad is a walking protest against the ordinance.
The mayor pops up occasionally to pop the bubble of whatever fun there is. Foreman as a kill joy delivers a lot of laughs. She almost wins you over with “Devil in Disguise.”
Others in town are at romantic loose ends. Natalie’s father Jim Haller (Isaac Sands) hasn’t kissed a woman since his wife died three years ago. Lorraine’s mother Sylvia (Maggie Griggs), the cynical owner of the saloon, hasn’t kissed a man for even longer, but says she doesn’t miss it.
Then we meet Miss Sandra (Alice Walters), the sophisticated museum director, who just moved into town. A bit of a Shakespeare sonnet, though, is all it takes to shake up her chilly exterior.
Soon Jim and Chad are chasing her, and she’s fallen for “Ed,” Natalie disguised as a boy. Remember “Twelfth Night”? Jim also dresses foolishly, another obvious reference to the Bard’s comedy.
Natalie hopes that by pretending to be a guy and Chad’s buddy, he’ll fall in love with her.
Gonzalez directs the show with music and vocal direction by Shawn Hudson and Beth Vaughn and scenery and design by Adam Kohman.
Bob Marzola does the choreography. He has created dances that have sock hop joy and are well within the abilities of his young cast.
And true to Gonzalez’ early assessment, the kids seem to be having a very good time. And that is highly infectious.
