BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: March 31, 2005

ALL SHOOK UP

Put on your blue suede shoes and whip your mop into a DA, there's going to be a whole lot of shakin' goin' on at the Palace Theatre where the new musical comedy ALL SHOOK UP recently opened. Christopher Ashley directs a handsome cast in this glossy Elvis-inspired rock 'n' roll extravaganza that will be pulling in Graceland devotees from Maine to Memphis.

With a book by Joe DiPietro, writer and librettist of the Off-Broadway mega-hit, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE, musical arrangements by Stephen Oremus and choreography by Ken Robinson—additional choreography by Sergio Trujillo—this amalgamated adaptation of a number of Shakespeare plays is peppered with familiar tunes from the King himself.

Opening in the middle of a square state in the middle of a square decade, ALL SHOOK UP takes us to a square small town in the nascent days of the Cultural Revolution. Rolling in on his thunderous motorcycle, Chad (Cheyenne Jackson) stirs up a cloud of controversy just by making an appearance. A.k.a. the Roustabout, he doesn't really do anything revolutionary; he simply looks the antithesis of square.

Longing to get out of town, local female grease monkey, Natalie (Jenn Gambatese), falls head over heels at the first sight of this roving roustabout. But, he has his eye on the local blonde bombshell, Miss Sandra (Leah Hocking), who has her heart set on Ed, who is really Jenn disguised as a boy in a peculiar effort to win the Roustabout's heart.

Adding to the confusion, the milquetoast Dennis (Mark Price), yearns for Natalie whose father, Jim (Jonathan Hadary), lusts after Miss Sandra but, deep down, really loves Sylvia (Sharon Wilkes), the local saloon-keep who happens to be black. Sylvia's daughter, Lorraine (Nikki M. James), is madly in love with young Dean (Curtis Holbrook), whose mother, Mayor Matilda Hyde, disapproves of mixing the races and tries to get Sheriff Earl (John Jellison) to enforce her Mamie Eisenhower code of conduct.

This hodgepodge AS YOU LIKE IT, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, TWELFTH NIGHT, ROMEO AND JULIET plot combines winsomely with a couple dozen of Elvis Presley's greatest hit. Songs like "Follow That Dream,' "That's All Right," and "Don't Be Cruel" could be woven into any musical comedy plot. Granted, to gently fit in "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Jailhouse Rock" take a little more finessing, but they sure do sound great. All of this results in a FOOTLOOSE-like "juke box" musical that desperately aims to please and does so minus the despair.

Blessed with adorably two-dimensional characters and showcased in spectacularly lavish David Rockwell sets, ALL SHOOK UP manages to be wholesomely lowbrow and expensively high concept at the same time. Jenn Gambatese as Natalie proves a strong sentimental lead, if not the most convincing Ed. Cheyenne Jackson as Chad is perfect for the part with his steely blue eyes and gyrating pelvis. One wonders why they named him after a hanging shard of paper when they could have just called him Cheyenne Jackson.

Jonathan Hadary and Sharon Wilkes bring Broadway gravitas to the production. Alix Korey is ideal as the shrill Matilda. John Jellison has a stand-out moment with his "Can't Help Falling in Love" reprise. Mark Price plays the perfect nerd. And, Curtis Holbrook rocks as the rebellious son who discovers his mixed-race relationship is not so mixed after all. ALL SHOOK UP, as cool as a frothy malted from the local drive-in.