Monday, April 21, 2008

Theater Review: All Shook Up

By John Garcia of The Column

Abba's Mamma Mia! We can either send them at the Winter Garden a gargantuan box of roses or a coffin stuffed with dead rats, depending on your feelings towards the jukebox musical.

The jukebox musical. What is that you ask? Well kids, it's a term used nowadays for musicals that use existing songs that are within a catalogue of a musical artist or composer. It's not a revue per se as the book writer will finagle, switch, twist, contort, & mangle those individual songs into a useful storyline. Most fail miserably at this.

This genre is either despised or loved by the theater community. Musical theater purists find it blasphemy to take existing songs and somehow force them into a story, regardless if they fit or not. While others find it an amusing evening of seeing how well a production team will take known hit singles and fashion them into a singular tale or fable.

The creation of Abba's fluffy disco songs into a story somehow actually fit into the book they built around it. It has become a monster of a hit in London, Broadway, and on the road. However, hovering in the dark alleys of Broadway are the bitter, angry flops that tried to repeat that magic one more time. There have been quite a few that tanked. But once in a while another will find the magic in the bottle to produce another surefire hit. For every Jersey Boys (the music and life of Frankie Avalon & The Four Seasons), there is such god awful dreg as Good Vibrations (music of the Beach Boys).

This brings us to the regional premiere of All Shook Up at Garland Civic Theatre. For this jukebox musical the creators go into the massive catalogue belonging to the king of Rock and Roll: Mr. Elvis Aaron Presley. All Shook Up would thrust its pelvis at the Palace Theater in March 2005, where it had its blue suede shoes trampled & ruined by the New York critics. The musical would only shimmy and shake for 213 performances, closing in September of that same year.

It should be noted here that there have been some significant changes from the original Broadway production to the national tour version. For it is the touring version that has been issued for production to regional theaters.

For example, the number "Jailhouse Rock" was originally a fantasy sequence in Act II in the Broadway version. For the regional version it now opens the show.

The entrance for the rebel Roustabout has been drastically shortened from the Broadway version. In that production there was major hydraulics used to show Chad on his motorcycle riding through the countryside. The national tour of course could not duplicate this on the road, thus it was cut.

In the Broadway version there was a whole "Hound Dog/Teddy Bear" dance sequence which is now completely eliminated from the regional version.

Finally the company number for "Devil in Disguise" was originally in Act I at the Palace. For its current version, it is now in Act II (replacing where "Jailhouse Rock" was originally positioned within the book). Within this number there is a boisterous guitar sequence that was specifically created for the national tour only. It never appeared in the Broadway production.

The diluted story is about a roustabout who comes to a small town to take on the Mayor who forbids rock music, interracial love, and necking. There is gender bending switches that create an array of misguided love between the sexes. If this has a faint familiarity to it, it should. The creators used Shakespeare's As You Like It as the skeletal foundation to drape Elvis's songs on. But this formulaic, paint by number story has been told endless times, that the musical collapses on this brittle skeletal framework.

Harvey Fierstein served as a presenter at the 2006 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical. Before he presented the award, he made a funny quip that if a musical fails, everyone blames the book writer right off the bat. If a musical succeeds, then the laurels go to the composers, not the book writer. I think there's truth in that.

The book for All Shook Up was written by Joe Dipietro, who also wrote the threadbare book for I Love you, You're Perfect, Now Change. The guy has a thing for multiple couples on love on the stage boards. However, the book for All Shook Up is dreadful, at times stagnant, and completely devoid of any real warmth, solid humor, or true character strength. Dipietro fails miserably in trying to sew the pieces between the songs of Elvis to weave into a solid, fluid cloth of storytelling.

Midway through Act One you can already figure out which couple will end up together and who will be in disguise to discover love. The jokes never reach side-splitting level, however there are some funny moments. But moments does not make a book. You get a sense that Dipietro sat in the theater watching rehearsal, and played pin the tale on the donkey with his characters on stage on how they should end up with by the finale.

As for the songs, well they are the saving grace of the musical. It is actually delightful enjoyment to hear the clever new arrangements within the many songs they use. I particularly liked how the creators infused choral variations within the songs. It gave them a nice sparkling polish.

For GCT's version, the immediate impact you do see is the clever, charming, and thoroughly enjoyable choreography created by Todd Aragon. This choreographer/dancer did his homework as you saw several numbers layered in 1955 period dances. The GCT space does have that strange "L" shaped design that I know must be a nightmare to work with at times, but Aragon wisely works around it. Several numbers looked as though you were watching a vintage telecast of American Bandstand. Aragon's choreography here is snazzy, vibrant, and really a strong highlight of this production.

Kudos as well to Musical Director Pam Holcomb-McLain for her valiant goal to make the small combo band sound like a full orchestra. At times it did work quite well, but at other times the music just did not sound full and robust. Several of the musical numbers thrived on heart pounding drums and slick guitar licks-but none came from the pit. Instead they sounded pre-recorded, overly synthesized, or muffled. This could be a sound design problem as well. Throughout the evening body mics popped, whizzed, fizzled out, or came on when a cast member was backstage. But at other times the band sounded tinny and confined. Nonetheless, Ms. McLain and her band did provide some pleasurable music.

What I liked best of Kyle McClaran's direction was making sure none of the characterizations became imitations. You have Elvis and Marilyn Monroe "types" on stage, but both actors did not imitate either iconic star. McClaran's pace was right on the money, but alas was hampered by the long scene changes in the dark. It became a rollercoaster ride for the audience. The scene finished with a full company number of energy, song, and dance -- only to sit in the dark for what seemed like long, drawn out minutes for the scene to be changed. I'm sure once they have a couple of more performances under their belts this will be fixed.

The majority of the large company achieves success with their performances, with a couple of them that stand out like sparkling baubles.

I strongly believe in the theory that ensembles make or break a production. They may not be the leads, but they are indeed as vital as any principal. The ensemble for All Shook Up is a terrific group of thespians that provide outstanding singing in the production numbers. Such numbers as "Jailhouse Rock"; "Heartbreak Hotel"; and "If I Can Dream" stand out as showstoppers because of the vocal strength provided by this chorus. They dance with spiffy energy and pizzazz, but also show on their faces that they are having a blast on stage. They are all top notch!

This talented group comprises of Nikki Britten, Cody Ceniti, Kimberly Anne Cooper, Walter Lee Cunningham, Jr., Jarvon D. Hughes, Melony Isaac, Maurice Johnson, Courtney McCarson, Daniel Miranda, Jack Perl, and Darius-Anthony Robinson.

Special round of applause does go to Walter Cunningham and Maurice Johnson. Both performers add an amazing layer of soulful vocal riffs in two musical numbers that spotlight their singing finesse.

Earning some of the best laughs of the evening were Drew Kelly as "Dennis" and Laura Warner as "Sylvia". Kelly gives his characterization of the nerdish sidekick an adorable aura that never dims. His facial expressions and body language only added to his eye-catching performance. Ms. Warner is all sass and charm as the owner of the Honky Tonk. She too nails some jovial laughs with her comedic delivery and pace.

Stephanie Hall portrays "Natalie", a grease monkey who is more comfortable in oil-stained work togs than wearing a dress. She falls for the rebel and disguises herself as a boy to be around the roustabout. Ms. Hall is quite humorous as "Ed", the male counterpoint she creates. This talented lady has a soothing, elegant soprano voice that works magic. But there are a couple of times that the rock and roll riffs within the songs assigned to her character were a bit out of her vocal grasp. A couple started way too low for her range, or had vocal riffs better suited for a rocker than a lyrical soprano. Nonetheless when it came to the ballads, Ms. Hall soars with vocal beauty and wins the audience's heart in the process. She's a nightingale encased in a leather jacket.

Two major standout performances within the large company were Ryan Cowles and Christian O'Neill Houston. They portray "Dale Hyde" and "Lorraine", the "Romeo & Juliet" duo within the book. Their chemistry is beguiling right from the get go. You can't help but look at this couple like a pair of sugar-coated teddy bears that you want to hug. Mr. Cowles and Ms. Houston also possess the strongest vocals within in the principals. Their numbers like "It's Now or Never" are true crowd-pleasers. This is the first principal role I've seen Cowles do, and I was thoroughly impressed with his comedic timing, pace, and delivery as the bashful momma's boy who becomes a man in the musical.

Alas the same cannot be said for Cindy Kahn, who portrays his mother "Mayor Matilda Hyde". This is easily a bigger-than-life, steal-the-show type of character, but Ms. Kahn never reaches those heights. She seems to be stuck in one emotion: loud. She never deviates her voice and characterization; it stays in screaming mode from the second she steps on the stage. Her voice contains a raspy, coarse quality that begs for a cough drop to soothe it out. She doesn't provide the character with the wicked subtext and comedic overtones that it calls for. Her one number, "Devil in Disguise", gasps and wheezes by the end. She simply cannot sing the song, going drastically off pitch. She could have done so much more with the "imitating" of playing the guitar for some gut busting laughs, but instead she struggles just to hold the instrument itself on stage. Sadly Ms. Kahn is miscast in this production. However I will say that I did find the costume, wig, and glasses that made Kahn look like Dame Edna quite enjoyable.

The star of the musical though is Gregory Hullett as the roustabout, "Chad". A tall, dark haired handsome actor who is perfectly cast in the "Elvis" role. He swaggers and thrusts his pelvis in such a way that would make the King of Rock-n-Roll give him a peanut butter and banana sandwich as a "Thank you" to this homage. Hullett possesses the right vocal tones and quality to give his solos that perfect quality of gritty rock-n-roll. Hullett has many numbers assigned to his character, and he succeeds wonderfully in all of them with his vocal instrument. Another excellent talent that Hullett has is that the guy can actually play guitar! Thus it is rewarding as an audience member to watch him use the guitar like a true musician on stage. This only adds to the strength and believability of his characterization. The actor also has a genuine sense of comedic timing, delivery, and pace that gives his performance a great balance of humor. He also uses his face and body to achieve some great zingers as well. It is a well rounded performance that steals the show.

In conclusion, I will confess that I am actually a fan of most jukebox musicals. Most. Some can really test your patience, while others work magically on the stage boards. All Shook Up is stuck with a clunky, lackluster book that lacks vigorous character strength and plot.

Thankfully it does contain several gems from the Presley canon. The company of GCT's version is stuffed with an effervescent cast that honestly overcomes the laboring material to provide a crowd-pleasing evening of musical theater. It is this cast who deserve the applause for they are the heart of this show.

GRADE: B-

All Shook Up runs until May 11 and tickets are available by calling 972-205-2790.

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