Celebrate hit songs made famous by Elvis Presley at the Flat Rock Playhouse in the famous Broadway musical hit, All Shook Up! Performances continue through Sunday, Aug. 18.
The musical combines the hilarity of Shakespearean comedies, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with the rock & roll music of Elvis Presley. In a musical presentation akin to Godspell and Footloose, this jukebox musical tells the story of a small-town girl with big dreams, a stick-in-the-mud mayor who has squashed any fun in her town, and the surprise visit of a leather-jacketed, guitar-playing, hip-swinging stranger. Experience the magic of rock & roll, gospel, romance, mistaken identities alongside Broadway-caliber musical numbers and hits such as, “Love Me Tender,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love”.
Running Friday, July 26 through Sunday, August 18, this is is a show you won’t want to miss. Plan your night out to see this crazy and uplifting musical comedy that will have audiences jumping out of their blue suede shoes!
All Shook Up explores a small, idyllic town where the townspeople struggle to find what brings them joy or to follow their dreams until a young man arrives with a rockin’ new sound that shakes up their day to day lives. Director Amy Jones describes upcoming production as, “A musical comedy inspired by the wonderful music of Elvis that seamlessly incorporates the lyrics of his songs into a plot which includes elements of Shakespeare’s comedies As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Twelfth Night. In the words of the book writer, Joe DiPietro, ‘We’re all the same underneath—we all want a purpose, we all want to be loved; everything else is just exteriors. I really worked from the songs first. They’re essentially about being in love, out of love, in some form of love, so the show had to explore love in all its fashions, and when I got the idea of tying that to Shakespeare’s comedies, which really do the same thing, that’s when I got inspired.'”
In this dazzling and delightful production, Flat Rock Playhouse designers and production crew will showcase all of their tricks. Along the lines of the movie Pleasantville or arriving in Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz, the stage will slowly transform from a sedentary, weathered town into a colorful, dynamic place of opportunity. Audiences can expect a live band that will perform on stage and appear or disappear in scenes as necessary. Using slip stages, the production team will create cinematic scenes, such as chasing after a moving bus. Last but not least, audiences will wonder at how the magic of music can make blue suede shoes dance all by themselves.
All Shook Up features a cast of professional equity actors as well as the 2019 Apprentice Company as the ensemble. Equity performers include: Natalie Storrs (Natalie), Steven Grant Douglas (Chad), Scott Treadway (Jim Haller), Alana Cauthen (Sylvia), Katelyn Bowman (Lorraine), Steve Raymond (Dennis), Erin Rubico (Miss Sandra), Daniel Plimpton (Dean Hyde), Linda Edwards (Mayor Hyde), Stuart Gregory (Sheriff Earl), Adolpho Blaire (Chorus 1), Demetrius Shields (Chorus 2), Kevin Kulp (Chorus 3), and Maddie Franke (Chorus 4). 2019 Second Year Apprentices include: Cody Marshall, Corey Simmons, Sophie Scarpulla, and Briana (BB) Stone. 2019 First Year Apprentices include: Kalonjee Gallimore, Matthew (Louis) Hansen, Malcolm Hayden, Danny Martin, Jack B. Murphy, Cooper Shaw, Grace McLaughlin, Amanda Ortiz, Emma Vance, Christine Wanda, Candice Hatakeyama, and Marissa Swanner.
It is choreographed by longtime Vagabond, Amy Jones, along with Maddie Franke and BB Stone serving as Dance Captain and Assistant Dance Captain, respectively. Alex Shields will serve at Music Director, while Bill Muñoz is Production Stage Manager along with Assistant Stage Manager, Amelia Driscoll. Adam Goodrum will serve as Production Manager. Dennis C. Maulden, CJ Barnwell, Ashli Arnold Crump, and David Gerena will serve as Scenic, Lighting, Costume, and Sound Design respectively. Cassidy Bowles will design the properties.
All Shook Up runs Friday, July 26 through Sunday, August 18 at Flat Rock Playhouse Leiman Mainstage. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8:00 PM, Saturdays at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-737-8008, or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.
This Flat Rock Playhouse production is brought to you in part by Mainstage Series Sponsor Henderson County Tourism Development Authority, Co-Opening Night Sponsors Rug and Home and Fields Auto Group, Transportation Sponsor Hunter Subaru, Hearing Loop Sponsor Asheville Head, Neck, and Ear Surgeons, and Executive Producers Terri Eisenhauer Signature Properties, Kanuga Conference Center, WTZQ, and Carolina Ace Hardware.