All Shook Up - Chicago Sun-Times Review- Page 2

[newyorkuniq]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 7:37pm

I saw some of "All Shook Up" and it made me want to throw up on myself. What a disgrace to decent Broadway theatre. What a insult to Elvis!

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 8:30pm

"No, but there was a woman working the auditorium selling Twizzlers and Bottled Water (no lie) and I overheard someone approach her and ask if she had any Beef Jerky."

They do that at all the "Broadway in Chicago" theatres.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 8:39pm

I have petitioned for the sale of hot dogs. If it is good enough for Wrigley - it should be fine for the Auditorium.

[Sunfish]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 9:10pm

"All Shook Up" is at the Palace (the CADILLAC Palace). The Producers will be in the Auditorium in Feb., maybe you can get your hot dogs in by then. (purposely leaving the field open)

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 9:57pm

Yes, I knew that. Great month for Chicago with Spamelot and All Shook Up. Looking forward to Spamelot tommorrow and even JCS on Sunday.

Posted: 1/20/05 at 1:15pm

"just out of curiousity what would you all change like in the book and stuff?"

Gustof, I'm glad you & your friends enjoyed the show! I wish I had-- I wanted to! I've been looking forward to this show since I first read about it and thought the idea of using Elvis songs in an updated Shakespearean setting was great. Very creative!

In terms of what I'd change, honestly I wouldn't know where to begin. I think Mr. Matt made some great points. The show doesn't seem to know if it wants to be realistic or a fantasy or a parody. The Chad Character doesn't make any sense- is he a magical being or a really hot guy or what? The idea that this is a really dull "Square" town in the 50's is absurd. It's a square town with a trailor-bound fine arts museum run by a sexpot? And there is an integrated bar where people of all ages drink & dance together but the owner of that bar is appalled her daughter would date a white boy? I won't keep going-- the point is the script is driven by ridiculous conceits, coincidences and conflicts that don't ring true. They have created absurd, artificial barriers to drive the plot and then those barriers fall apart for no reason. There is not nearly enough believable plot. I found myself thinking of all the times this "Stranger comes to town and shakes things up" plot has been used-- why not just plug Elvis songs into "Picnic"? At least that had drama.

Of course it would work if the book was funny. I laughed once-- at the mayor's wedding dress. Some of the jokes were weirdly anachronistic, like Chad wanting to smack Ed's privates while swimming. Mainly they were just bad.

And since it has been mentioned, I thought it would be a "family" show, too. And then there were all these weird sexual plotlines. I would have hated to taken a six-year old and then have to explain some of those "jokes".

[robbiej]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 1:24pm

I'm just seeing the replies to this now.

What astonishes me is the assumptions made. Yes, I found Caroline, or Change moving. And I found The Producers moving. And Sweet Charity. And Dreamgirls. And How to Succeed...

When I say 'moving', I don't limit that to weeping copious amounts of tears. I mean having your emotional state changed in some way. One major thing that does that for me is when a show is extremely well done. THAT, the alchemy of performance and score and staging, is the most moving thing about going to the theatre.

I have no idea what I would think about ALL SHOOK UP. But the whole 'let's make excuses for a show', no matter what it is, really disheartens me.