It’s only fitting that a musical featuring the music of the King of Rock-n- Roll be presented at the Royal Theatre.
“All Shook Up” has been on my "bucket list" of shows to direct for a few years now. Elvis has been a huge part of my life since, well, birth. My father loved his music, owned all his movies (even the really bad ones –"Tickle Me," anyone?), and was heartbroken when he passed away almost 40 years ago. One of my go-to karaoke songs has been his version of "Blue Suede Shoes," and I’ve impersonated him on more than one occasion, jumpsuit and all. I even had an Elvis bit in my brief stint as a comedian, singing parodies like “Love My Fender” and “Viva Velveeta”. So yeah, you could say directing a musical full of Elvis songs was inevitable.
Based on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” the show also pays homage to the bare-bones plots of numerous Elvis films – a loner rolls into town with a song on his lips and a shake in his hips, and teaches everyone, even himself, about the power of love and rock-n-roll, usually to the tune of several hit Elvis songs. From “Jailhouse Rock” to “Burning Love,” a broad spectrum of the King’s hit catalog is represented here, with the same high energy dances and heart-breaking ballads you’d expect from Elvis’ films.
This talented cast and crew have worked their own brand of TCB to bring this show to this stage, where world-class Elvis impersonator Tony Witt has played many a concert. So sit back, relax, and get ready to rock out old school with the King and the Royal Players. And thank you for supporting live theater. Thankyouverymuch…
Frank O. Butler, Director
PS FrankO has left the building…
