All Shook Up at Woodland Opera House

The verdict: Sit back, fix yourself a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and enjoy a frivolous night of theatre

A musical like All Shook Up really has no good reason to exist. It's not like the songs of Elvis Presley were crying out to be re-imagined as harmony-heavy ensemble numbers in a Broadway show. And let's face it, rock classics like "Jailhouse Rock," "Blue Suede Shoes" and, yes, "All Shook Up" are not improved when given the Broadway show-tune treatment.

The plot is silly; the dialogue, on paper anyway, is ridiculous. Try this line, spoken by one character to another in the show, on for size:

"I dig hot art. And I dig hot women. And when I find a hot woman who digs hot art I say 'Hot Diggity!'"

Ouch.

And yet...

Somehow, when presented by an enthusiastic cast of performers, the show works – and by “works” I mean it delivers a fun time with a lot of laughs. Even the line I quoted above gets a good laugh when presented by Chad, the Elvis-like roustabout who has descended on a cloistered town with a talent for getting a rise out of repressed women and broken jukeboxes alike.

Although it features the music of Elvis Presley, All Shook Up is neither a biography nor a tribute to the King. Rather, the songs are used to tie together a thin plot that is part Twelfth Night, part Footloose and part Grease. It centers on the aforementioned Chad (Lafras le Rax), who rides into town on a deteriorating motorcycle and meets Natalie, the pretty mechanic played by Amber Jean Moore. Natalie is immediately smitten with the newcomer, but her feelings are unrequited. So pretty Natalie dons a hunting cap, creates a beard with a smear of engine grease, and reinvents herself as man’s man Ed. Her plan is for Ed to get to know Chad as one of the “guys”, and convince him that Natalie is the girl for him.

Natalie/Ed’s plan is complicated by Chad’s subsequent infatuation with the town’s new museum director, Miss Sandra (Whitney Roeder), who of course rejects him for Ed (really Natalie), who in turn is loved by Dennis (Elio Gutierrez), the town’s nerdy would-be dentist. If this all sounds complicated, it gets worse. We are asked to follow and care about no fewer than ten main characters, most of whom are either secretly, foolishly or confidently in love with another character. The plot twists are predictable and, of course, all is resolved happily in the end. Other key denizens of this befuddled town are Mayor Matilda (Nancy Agee) who is determined to stamp out all sin and degradation in town; Sherrif Earl (Steve Mackay), the Mayor's mostly wordless enforcer; The mayor's military-school attending son Dean (Eric Alley); Natalie's widowed father Jim (Jeff Nauer); the feisty bar owner Sylvia (Priscilla Harris) and her rebellious daughter Lorraine (Megan Sandoval). Wooey!

As Chad, Mr. le Rax is almost right. Tall, with a airy confidence and a goofy manner, he doesn’t bring quite the level of sexual power the role obviously calls for, but he is entertaining. His singing voice is good, but not powerful enough to override the fairly loud rock music emanating from the strong orchestra, so that his performances are sometimes over-matched by the music.

That is not a problem for the gifted Ms. Moore, who is plucky and engaging in the role of Natalie/Ed. One of the negatives of having so many leads is that we get to hear too little from those, like Ms. Moore, who ought to be offered more of a chance to shine. Her Act II performance of the heartfelt “Fools Fall in Love” is one of the show's highlights, and it would have been nice if she'd been given a few more moments in the spotlight.

Another standout performer is Megan Sandoval. Every time she appears, Ms. Sandoval simply lights up the stage (note to self: next year’s New Year’s Resolution is to stop using clichés like “lights up the stage”). Whether leading a vigorous tap-dance to "That's All Right Mama" (and where, but in a Broadway musical, could one even remotely fathom the idea of tap-dancing to "That's All Right Mama?"), belting out "It's Now or Never," or enthusiastically shouting out "It's the Roustabout!" every time Chad makes an appearance, Ms. Sandoval is endearing and fun to watch.

The songs of All Shook Up range from the familiar to the obscure. Any show associated with Elvis would almost have to feature "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Jailhouse Rock." But some of the more effective performances were of songs that were less well known. The plaintive "It Hurts Me," sung by a distraught Dennis, and the lovely "There's Always Me," sung by the heartsick Sylvia, are good examples of lesser-known songs that are movingly delivered. "Can't Help Falling in Love" is one of the more familiar songs that does receive a very impressive treatment, closing act I with the entire ensemble blending from positions surrounding the audience - it's powerfully performed.

So would I recommend All Shook Up? Sure. I mean, if you're looking for a mindless but entertaining romp, look no further (and I'm not one of those who thinks mindless entertaining fun is a bad thing). It won't leave a lasting memory or change the way you think about theatre (or about Elvis), but you'll laugh a lot and I bet you'll have a good time.