On April 1 and 2, SCAD’s Performance Ensemble presented the musical “All Shook Up” to crowds so large, the production ran an extra time to accommodate everyone.
The show’s program promised a “staged reading; performed with minimal set, costumes, and props but maximum talent.” The cast and crew certainly delivered on this promise, as the scores in their hands went quickly from ugly crutches to brilliant props. All of the performers managed to use the bulky black binders as extensions of the show, utilizing them as props to eliminate awkwardness.
Joe DiPietro wrote the script for “All Shook Up,” which spent the spring and summer of 2005 on Broadway, but the music consists solely of classics from Elvis Presley. The story itself is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s, “Twelfth Night,” seamlessly bringing that comedy of ridiculous escapades and romantic entanglements to “a small you-never-heard-of-it town…during the summer of 1955.”
Of course, in the realm of musical theater, seamless isn’t really an option. We’ve suspended belief countless times to see characters fall in love at first sight or letter in track, and “All Shook Up” is no exception. But director Kevin Wallace made every impossibility – every score in hand and every cardboard motorcycle – into something the audience wanted to believe. The actors’ earnest, occasionally overdone, performances, particularly those by Gia Erichson and Leonard W. Rose as leads Natalie and Dennis, drove the show and made our belief a reality.
The actors’ earnest, occasionally overdone, performances, particularly those by Gia Erichson and Leonard W. Rose as leads Natalie and Dennis, drove the show and made our belief a reality.
The music as a whole was spectacular, beautifully arranged and executed to the standard one comes to expect from even the most casual mention of Elvis Presley. The promised talent was immediately clear in this area. Matt Mackay, playing Chad, the lead ruffian mandatory to any rock and roll musical, stood out among the vocal performances. Ayla Bellamy, as sassy nonromantic Lorraine, excelled as well, wrapping the first act up with a breathtaking rendition of.
The production was accompanied by a student band who held their own amid lively ensemble songs, belted solo and tender duets. (And in that respect it would be remiss not to mention the show’s sound engineer, Richie Adams, as he certainly had a large hand in its success).
The set, as the program mentioned, was minimal and had a high school cardboard cutout feel to it. In many ways, at least, among a student audience, these sets (particularly the bus full of actors dancing down the aisle way) actually benefited the production. They seemed to acknowledge the comedy of the show, creating a sense of situational irony and an inside joke between these inanimate objects and the audience. The set pieces made the ridiculous, overdramatic situations onstage that much more entertaining.
“All Shook Up” showed an impressive attention to detail, especially considering it was only a staged reading. Every ensemble member created his or her own character and audience members clapped even as the actors moved sets.
The energy and joy of “All Shook Up” fueled the audience and created a hilarious, entertaining and unforgettable experience.
Written by Shelby Loebker.
