“Everybody in the whole cell block will be dancing:” is the story of Joe DiPietro’s “All Shook Up.” This musical is all things dance: They rock, they jive, they bop, they spin. The ambiance on the stage makes you want to get up and start dancing in the audience. This show is an Elvis jukebox musical, including 27 songs and some of his most popular, such as “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” “Hound Dog” and even “Burning Love.” This musical revolves around the restrained residents of a Midwest town during the summer of 1955, who awaken when a leather jacket-wearing, guitar-playing roustabout named Chad rides into their town. His sudden arrival sparks a romantic frenzy among the residents, including mistaken identities, love triangles and heartbreak all within one day. The story takes inspiration from many Shakespearean plays, but mostly from “Twelfth Night.”
The show was performed April 23, 24 and 25. The cast and crew have been rigorously working on this musical since the beginning of January. If you went to see this production, you could tell that the almost four months of hard work clearly paid off. There were challenging dances, harmonies and quick-changes you would never expect. Evi de la Cruz, who played the honky-tonk restaurant owner Sylvia, mentioned, “The most challenging part for me was learning to dance so much and sing at the same time!” She expanded, “This show was very dance heavy and we had to sing a lot, so it was interesting trying to learn how to control my breath and movement in those moments.”
The cast was not the only major part of the show; the crew in the shadows were also instrumental in making this show come to life. Breanne Crawford, a senior who was the assistant stage manager, played a huge role in this production. Not only did Breanne bring on the 800-pound motorcycle on and off stage left, she helped build the majority of the set (and that is saying the bare minimum). “As a stage manager, I get to see all stages of a production beginning to end.” Crawford resumes with, “You really play a hand in every aspect of the show, even those the audience may not realize.”
Even though being on the stage is thrilling, some of the most memorable moments come from backstage. Micah Eaker, the bus driver and ensemble member, commented, “My favorite memory was when my friends and I would dance backstage during songs we weren’t in.” Crawford added, “My favorite memories were all the backstage shenanigans we had! It’s impossible to pick my one single favorite memory.” Overall, the experience of working on the show was positive, with the community and friends gained being the major takeaway from this production.
With the future of GBS theatre productions instilling excitement in a supportive Raider community, one common idea unites all cast and crew members: You are always welcome to join! As mentioned by de la Cruz, “We make so many fun memories here and we would love to have you!” Eaker adds further, “If you are debating on joining theatre, just do it because you never know how much you might enjoy it.” Truly, the cast and crew of “All Shook Up” suggest that you have to “follow that dream, wherever that dream may lead.”
