All Shook Up: Things got jiggly, wiggly in the theater department during the musical
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March 1, 2019
“All Shook Up,” inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, an American jukebox musical, was quite the show, featuring something for everyone: unexpected love, drama, romantic comedy, and especially a jukebox of hits from Elvis Presley. Opening on Friday, Feb. 8, those who missed the show, surely missed out.
Taking it back to the 50’s in the midwest, sophomore Xavier Barham played Chad, the cool guy. Chad is a great looking, motorcycle riding, leather jacket wearing roustabout, who stops at a doleful town to get his motorbike fixed when comes across a small town girl named Natalie, played by senior Cadence Lee. A young girl with a passion for cars, she works at her dad’s shop. While fixing Chad’s bike, Natalie lands heart-eyes on the hip-swiveling, eye-capturing Chad.
Before the show
With four days until opening night, tech week begins for theater. With the lights hitting the stage, and the band pit ready to play, the cast puts on the last of their costumes, and the lights dim. The show starts with one of Elvis Presley’s most notorious hits, “Jailhouse Rock.”
Dancing, music, and acting flow all together. Taking it back months earlier, the cast began working on the production in mid-November. Students rehearsed after school and during the weekends, then gradually put together all of the elements of the show.
Their preparation began with learning the music and memorizing the lines while the band played for correct timing. Eventually, they began learning the choreography for each scene.
“As the director,” said Todd Efsits. “The most magical thing to watch was the choreography, the singing, the dancing, the band, and the acting all merged together. When that happens, it feels like four lanes of traffic merge together.”
Throughout the making of this show, cast members also noticed a “merging” of not only the elements of the show but the relationships of the cast.
“What I loved about the show,” said Freshman William Pontius, “is that it felt like a family unlike any other show I’ve been in.”
