By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
"All Shook Up": Elvis Presley would have turned 70 a couple of weeks ago. Yet his music and style continue to affect the American pop music scene. Proof of that lies in the current pre-Broadway production of "All Shook Up" which will be playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater in the Loop until Jan. 23.
This is perhaps one of the slickest productions to step on Chicago stages in a long time. A cross between "Grease" and "Mama Mia," it presents an ensemble of young, thoroughly dedicated professional singers and dancers who seem, by their very enthusiasm, determined to make it in the Big Apple. And make it they will!
With a top of the line production team including music director and arranger Stephen Oremus, and choreographer Ken Roberson, both of whom are recognized for their work in the hugely successful "Avenue Q," and with director Christopher Ashley, the sets and top notch production values keep audiences glued to their seats.
All the production numbers are based on songs that Elvis made popular. The story line is simple. Chad (Cheyenne Jackson) arrives in a sleepy Midwestern town aboard his motorcycle in the mid-1950s. His Elvis-like character soon comes into contact with Natalie (Jenn Gambatese) who is the mechanic in her father's service station. Sparks fly! We meet other townspeople like bar owner Sylvia (Sharon Wilkins) and museum director and resident sexpot Miss Sandra (Leah Hocking.) The entire town is under the iron-fisted and highly repressed control of Mayor Matilda Hyde (Alix Korey) who has enunciated a series of regulations against anything remotely to do with love, sex and dating.
Among the problems she confronts in the enforcement of those regulations is the fact that her son (Curtis Holbrook) falls in love with Lorraine (Nikki M. James). Lorraine is Sylvia's daughter and is black. The Mayor and her son—well, you should see the action. Eventually, everything sorts itself out and the lovers are appropriately paired off.
The sets, by David Rockwell, move fluidly through the play providing a lot more action than the stage's size would seem to accommodate. The ensemble voices are tuned to the response of an enthusiastic audience. This is a play that will have legs on Broadway for a long time to come. Now's your chance to see it before it becomes theatrical history.
For tickets ($19.55 to $82) to "All Shook Up," call (312) 902-1400. The Cadillac Palace Theater is located at 151 W. Randolph St.
"Of Mice and Men": If you've had your fill of frothy musicals and want drama that you can get your teeth into, try The Shattered Globe's production of the John Steinbeck classic, depression-era drama, "Of Mice and Men," now playing at the Victory Gardens Theater on Lincoln Avenue.
The sparkling direction by ensemble member Eileen Niccolai brings the characters of Lenny (John Harrell) and George (Brian Pudill) to life as they search for survival as itinerant farm laborers in California during the 1930s. Seeking warmth, friendship, and companionship and searching for an unattainable goal bring these friends together in a situation that can only lead to disaster.
Dull-witted Lenny, who doesn't understand his own strength, is tended by his friend, George, as they try to survive in the hostile economic climate. Their dream, a small piece of land of their own, is near at hand when they incorporate Candy (Richard Baker) in their simple plan. But this is tragedy all the way and the audience knows that the dreams will never be realized. What is apparent to everyone is the fact that human companionship feeds the soul—but only up to a breaking point.
Tickets to Shattered Globe's production are available by calling (773) 871-3000. Performances are Thursdays through Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. Performances will continue through March 19. |
