I often think of jukebox musicals as a bunch of tunes looking for a plot, so I was in for a surprise with All Shook Up on stage now at Broadway Palm. This is billed as inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley. I was expecting a lot of hip gyrations, and I got those, thanks to the flexible pelvis of Austin Wicke as Chad.
But I also got a Shakespeare-inspired romp full of mistaken identities and starry-eyed people in love with the wrong person.
Wicke rolls into “a small you-never-heard-of-town somewhere in the Midwest” that is governed under Mamie Eisenhower moral standards by Mayor Matilda, played with imposing presence by Shannon Connolly.
Appalled at the hijinks Wicke has touched off, Connolly has fun with “Devil in Disguise” surrounded by a bevy of very unusual Church Ladies. Costume Designer John P. White has captured their aesthetic perfectly. The mayor’s sidekick Frank Hughes as Sheriff Earl is a silent foil until he isn’t.
Two other numbers stood out for me. “It Hurts Me” is sung by Ross Coughlin as an adorably nerdy Dennis who is pining for Darcy Reimler as Natalie who is pining for Wicke. (I told you it was complicated.)
And Jasmine Lacy Young as bar owner Sylvia, another Shakespearean reference, brings down the house with “There’s Always Me.”
The only thing missing in this production is a signature tap dance number by Director and Choreographer Amy Marie McCleary. I guess blue suede shoes never came with taps.
I don’t want to spoil it, but the show ends as every good Shakespearean comedy should. IYKYK.
All Shook Up runs through May 16. For tickets, call 239.278.4422.
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