Music of Elvis highlights Theatre Albany’s ‘All Shook Up’
Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher
By Carlton Fletcher
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ALBANY — For Dianne Giddens, if you’re going to do a play that features the music of Elvis Pressley and a whole lot of dancing to that music, that’s where you start.
So when the cast list for Theatre Albany’s “All Shook Up,” which opens Friday, was selected and the actors gathered to start rehearsals, she, Music Director Gary Unger and Choreographer Judy Dabbs had their starting point.
“This is a musical, so obviously the songs are important,” Giddens, the former Deerfield-Windsor School drama teacher who is directing her sixth play for Theatre Albany, said. “And there’s lots of dancing, so we started there. That was my process; start with the music and dancing and then incorporate the blocking. That solidifies what we’re trying to do.”
While “All Shook Up” is not a play about Elvis, it features his music, familiar songs like “Jailhouse Rock,” “Blue Suede Shoes, “Hound Dog” and “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.” And while lead Butler Stoudenmire’s “Chad” is not a take on the King of Rock, it is close enough to lead the audience in that direction.
“All Shook Up” actually is a love story, built around a romantic triangle featuring Chad, a “roustabout” who rides into town on his motorcycle and sweeps all the town’s girls off their feet, including local beauty Brianna Rosenfeld, played by Natalie Haller, and Mayor Matilda Hyde’s (Lindsey Stewart) son Dean Hyde (Chase Graham), who is in the military.
But the star of the show is the cast’s take on Elvis’ music and the high-energy dance moves of the actors.
“Every show has its thing, and this one is the music,” Giddens said. “We’d done it before at Deerfield, so I was very familiar with it. The kids enjoyed it, and I think this group is really into it. They’ve developed into a little family as rehearsals have continued. We started in early July, so we’ve been at it a while now.”
“All Shook Up” features 20 characters, and the Theatre Albany cast ranges in age from 17 up. Other actors in the play include David Ward (Jim Haller), Erica Edwards (Sylvia), Wesley Williams (Dennis), Jessica Albano (Sandra), Kohl Kirksey (Sheriff Earl), Natalie Morgan (Lorraine), Devan Milling (Warden), Creslyn Burnette (Henrietta) and ensemble members Tracy Lee, Zan Twiggs, Katherine Collins, Amber Kirksey, Anita Lime-Sims, Megan Moshell, Dorothy Collins and Ikemba Ochie.
As usual, sets are designed and built by Giddens and her husband, Billy.
“Billy and I do the sets, typically,” Giddens said. “I feel like they really help set the tone for the play.”
And, of course, there are the actors.
“I feel really good about this cast,” Giddens added. “I usually send out emails after auditions asking the actors if they will accept roles. But something wasn’t quite right this time, so I slept on the decision before sending the emails. I decided to make a change — I have the final say on the cast — and that decision has really worked out well. It was a gut feeling, but I also prayed about it a lot before making the decision. I always feel if everything’s all right with God, then we’re good.”
Six performances of “All Shook Up,” which kicks off the local theater’s 91st season, are scheduled over the next two weekends. Shows are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13, 14, 20 and 21. Sunday matinees Sept. 15 and 22 are scheduled at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Theatre Albany box office during regular business hours. For additional information, check out Theatre Albany online.
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