All Shook Up
24th - 27th November 2010

Book by
Joe DiPietro

Lyrics by
Various

Based on
Shakespere's Twelth Night;
inspired by the music of Elvis Presley

First production
2005 on Broadway

Reviews

The Team

Director - Gill Miller
Musical Director - Steven Geraghty
Choregorapher - Fran Newitt
Assistant Choreographer - Corin Miller
Dance Captain - Sarah Ioannou
Stage Manager - Alex Murphy
Lighting Design - Ben Ruddock
Sound - Sam Coates
Set supplied by - Proscenium
Properties - Bill Woodland
Production Secretary - Rikky Cox
Wardrobe - Gill Miller, Dawn Lambert
Costumes supplied by - Charshalton Pantomime Company, Members of the Company
Wigs - Bright's Barnets
Prompt - Chrissy Bright, Ann Bowden
Box Office - Dawn Lambert
Poster and program design - James Beal: www.stingin.com
Marketing - Rick Baxter, Kevin Hayes, Sarah Ioannou,
Dawn Lambert, Colin McGinnis, Alexandra Neal
Photography - Tim Hinchcliffe

The Band
Piano - Rob Wicks
Keys 2 - Matthew Gregory
Guitar 1 - Remy Martin
Guitar 2 - Leigh Harris
Bass - Ida Hollis
Drums/Percussion - Jon Fairey
Reed 1 - Jin Theirault
Reed 2 - Mike Eldridge
Reed 3 - Claire Thomas
Trumpet 1 - Rob Wilson
Trumpet 2 - Ali Kidd
Trombone - Dan Chadwick

The Cast

Chad - Andy Lingfield
Natalie Haller / Ed - Corin Miller
Jim Haller - Mark Mear
Sylvia - Amanda Miller
Lorraine - Natalie Cave (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings)
Stephanie Hornett (Wednesday evening, Thurs & Sat matinee)
Dennis - Stuart Norris
Miss Sandra - Vicky Terry
Mayor Matilda Hyde - Briar Blake
Dean Hyde - Matthew Walker
Sheriff Earl - David Crossingham
Ensemble - Ray Beaney, Tanya Chong, Joe Clarke, Rikky Cox, Jonathon Deering, Charlotte Dowding, Charlotte Driessler*, Eugénie Dunster*, Phoebe Dunster*, Stephanie Hornett, Isabelle Hurrell*, Tyrone Haywood, Sarah Ioannou*, Dawn Lambert, Allyson Marques, Colin McGinnis, Claire Miller*, Alexandra Neal*, Prancesca Pisani, Stephanie Poulter, Sue Reader*,
Hans Rossbach, Rowan Smith*, Benedict Ward, Pearl Waterhouse
*dancers

The Story

Act One
Somewhere in the midwest, within a village that no one knew about, in the 1950s, Chad, a hip-swiveling, guitar-playing roustabout, is being released from prison ("Jailhouse Rock"). The warden doesn't appreciate a guy like Chad riding into town, playing his music and exciting the local women. With a sneer, Chad rides off.

In a nearby dreary little town, Natalie, a young mechanic, is dreaming of love and adventure. She yearns for one true love to take her away, but she doesn't realize that her best friend Dennis has a secret crush on her. Sitting in Sylvia's, the local honky tonk, the whole town sings the blues ("Heartbreak Hotel"). Natalie's widowed father Jim enters and joins in, until they're interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle: it is Chad, the most gorgeous man any of the women in this town have ever seen! Most swoon for him, but one unlucky girl has the displeasure of fainting before him, riding into town ("Roustabout"). Chad is in need of a mechanic and he's introduced to Natalie, who is instantly smitten ("One Night With You") and promises to fix his bike, wanting to hold him in her arms.

Chad asks about any excitement in town, but he's told that excitement is outlawed under the Mayor's strict rules: no tight pants, no public kissing, and no loud music. Chad, incensed, promises to breathe some life into this sad, little town and he touches a broken-down jukebox, and it immediately comes to life ("C'mon Everybody"). As Chad and Natalie go off to fix his bike, Mayor Matilda enters with Earl, the sheriff, and her son, Dean. Matilda scolds the citizens for dancing and singing, then goes off to find the root of this new found evil. As soon as she exits, Dean meets Lorraine, Sylvia's pretty African-American daughter, and the two share a nervous and flirtatious smile. Meanwhile, Natalie is working on Chad's motorcycle. She tells him of her dreams of the open road, and he tells her that she must follow her heart ("Follow That Dream").

After Chad exits, Natalie, in an attempt to look more girly, puts on the only dress she owns—a tattered old one she uses to clean car engines. Dennis runs into Natalie and he is about to tell her how he feels for her, when Chad enters and interrupts. Ignoring Natalie, Chad asks Dennis to become his sidekick and the overjoyed Dennis accepts. Suddenly, the beautiful and glamorous Sandra appears, and Chad is struck down with a case of hardcore love ("One Night With You"--reprise). Sandra is the owner of the local museum, and she bemoans the lack of culture in this depressing little town. Chad tries to smooth-talk her, but she resists ("Teddy Bear/Hound Dog").

Later that day, at Sylvia's Honky Tonk, Jim and Sylvia speak about the strange, lascivious behavior that seems to have befallen the town since Chad's arrival. Natalie enters in her greasy dress, and Lorraine has her change into one of her dresses—it is clean and cute and Natalie looks lovely. She rushes off in pursuit of Chad. Both Sylvia and Jim agree that at a certain point in life, it's better to be alone, when Sandra enters, and Jim instantly falls for her ("One Night With You"--reprise). Too nervous to speak to such a vision of beauty, he rushes out.

Dean enters to tell Lorraine that he thinks she's beautiful. Lorraine, thrilled, begins to teach him to dance ("That's All Right"). But Sylvia interrupts and insists that it's NOT all right for them to be together, and Dean rushes out. Dean meets Matilda at the bus stop, and she tells him that she's sending him back to military school on the next bus. Lorraine enters, and Dean tells her the terrible news: they're about to be separated. Hopelessly in love, Dean and Lorraine decide to run off together ("It's Now Or Never").

Both Jim and Chad follow Sandra, but she will have nothing to do with either of them. Dennis meets Natalie on the street and shows off his new hunting cap, which makes him feel like "one of the guys." Natalie has a sudden inspiration and she grabs Dennis' hunting cap. Alone in the garage, she dresses like a leather-jacketed male roustabout ("Love Me Tender").

As Chad bemoans Sandra's lack of attraction to him, Dennis comes up with an idea. He volunteers to take a Shakespearean sonnet to her. Desperate, Chad agrees. But before Dennis leaves, a leather-jacketed roustabout rides into town ("Blue Suede Shoes"). It is Natalie, dressed as a fellah named Ed. Chad is excited by Ed's coolness and manliness and he asks Ed to be his new sidekick. Heartbroken, Dennis exits. Chad instructs Ed that his first job as his new sidekick is to give the sonnet to Miss Sandra. Jim enters, and Ed grabs the sonnet and rushes off.

Jim tells Chad that he's in love with a woman who doesn't love him back. Chad looks over the slovenly Jim, and tells him that in order to win a girl, Jim must dress and act more like Chad. Chad gives Jim a much-needed lesson in coolness ("Don't Be Cruel"). Ed arrives at the museum and gives Sandra the sonnet. Sandra is so moved by the sonnet that she finds herself drawn to this strange-looking young man ("One Night With You"--reprise). Ed tries to leave, but Sandra is intent on seducing him ("Let Yourself Go").

As the sun goes down, Mayor Matilda is cracking down on the perceived immoral behavior that is now running rampant through the town. She comes upon a couple kissing, and she's stunned to see that it's her precious Dean kissing Lorraine. Dean, for the first time, disobeys his mother and shows her that he can now dance. He and Lorraine run off into the night. Matilda promises to throw Chad in jail for what he has done, and she and Sheriff Earl drive after Dean. Ed tells Chad that in order to avoid jail, he should hide in the abandoned fairgrounds just outside of town. Chad runs off, and Ed runs off after him. Jim, now dressed like Chad, enters and asks Sylvia if she's seen Sandra. Sylvia tells Jim that he's crazy to fall for a woman like that, and Jim admonishes Sylvia for having grown cold and bitter. Jim gives Sylvia a very surprising kiss, and a stunned Sylvia suddenly falls for him. Soon, everyone in town find themselves escaping to the fairgrounds, searching for someone to love ("Can't Help Falling in Love").

Act Two
In the midst of the abandoned fairgrounds, the citizens of the town are restless and randy ("All Shook Up"). Dennis comes upon Natalie, who's still dressed as Ed, and Dennis reveals that he's upset about the way Chad treats her ("It Hurts Me"). But Natalie insists that Chad is the only guy for her.

In an attempt to win Chad, Natalie gets an idea: she convinces Chad to teach her (as Ed) how to seduce a woman ("A Little Less Conversation") but in the process, Ed winds up kissing Chad. Chad is stunned and Ed runs off as Jim enters. Chad reaffirms his machismo ("Power Of My Love") when Jim and Chad suddenly realize they are both in love with the same woman. Sandra enters, lustfully looking for Ed. Jim confesses his love for Sandra, but she doesn't even remember meeting him. As the heartbroken Jim slinks off, Ed enters, and he insists that Sandra leave them alone. Sandra, still hot for Ed, relents and promises to find him later. Left alone, Chad is about to hit Ed, but he realizes that he can't. Ed gives Chad some "alone time", and Chad realizes that he has feelings for his new sidekick ("I Don't Want To").

In another part of the fairgrounds, Mayor Matilda enters, followed, as always, by the silent Sheriff Earl, and she vows to bring the roustabout down ("Devil In Disguise").

A heartbroken Jim wanders about and runs into Sylvia, who is wearing her best Sunday dress. He wonders what she's doing out there this time of night, and she confesses her newfound feelings for him ("There's Always Me"). But Jim can't handle this revelation, and he rushes off.
In another part of the grounds, Dean and Lorraine plan to catch the morning train out of town, but Chad convinces them to stay and fight for their love ("If I Can Dream").

In the center of the fairgrounds, Matilda gathers the townspeople together to form a pious posse to both find her son and arrest Chad. But Chad enters, as does Dean and Lorraine.
Natalie, sings of her of falling in love with Chad ("Fools Fall In Love"). Finally, Earl speaks and professes his love for Matilda, Dean and Lorraine are allowed to be together, Jim realizes its actually Sylvia that he's loved, Dennis and Sandra share a moment where they both realize a love for Shakespeare, and subsequently, a love for each other, and Chad accepts Natalie. The last scene is a triple wedding (Jim and Sylvia, Matilda and Earl, Dennis and Sandra), with flower girl/bridesmaid Lorraine, and Natalie riding off on her motorbike, with Chad on the back ("Burning Love").

Synopsis sourced from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Shook_Up_(musical)