All Shook Up

Devonport Choral Society has been providing entertainment in the small city of Devonport on the North West Coast of Tasmania for over six decades. Their latest production is a tribute to the King, the Elvis Presley jukebox musical All Shook Up. DCS promoted the claim, if you love Elvis Presley you will love All Shook Up, and lived up to the boast.

Most people are familiar with Elvis Presley music, but it was fascinating to see a stage cast of over thirty performers, most of whom weren’t even born - hell no, most of whose parents weren’t  even born -  when the music first came out. That didn’t matter - director Sid Sidebottom created a tight, almost seamless production, with all disparities in age, experience, size, dancing ability and voice power overshadowed by the extraordinary talent available.

Most of the most famous Elvis songs were there: Jailhouse Rock, Heartbreak Hotel, Follow That Dream, Blue Suede Shoes, Devil in Disguise, Can’t help Falling in Love, and so on, but the main element of this show was that the cast was well rehearsed. Every cast member had “fallen in love” with the magic of the production. A band of fifteen or more musicians, under the superb guidance of young musical director Bronwyn Darvell, struck the notes and pace for a two hour extravaganza.

Jailhouse Rock, the first song, was a delight. Costume designer Vicki Purnell made an impact with costumes in black and white, which had the effect of unifying the wide disparity in size of the cast. All costumes were built for action and flow of music and dance, as well as being colourful. The ensemble work was marvellous, and choreographer Phoebe Wootton made the most of the range and experience with terrific dance routines.

DCS is blessed with many powerful singers – Shayne Lowe (Sylvia), Tash Turner(Mayor Matilda) and many more, but each song was a highlight, from every cast member. Paul Wells (Chad), Laura Gillard (Natalie/Ed), Ally Douglas (Lorraine) and Alastair Yeates (Dennis) played their larger roles well, and every support role was well handled. Well done DCS – thang you, thang very much!

Merlene Abbott