Posted: 7/8/22 at 11:15am
There was a musical. ELVIS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL that toured and did a lengthy sit in Vegas in the late 80s. Broadway was the goal but not 100% sure it got there. Johnny Seaton starred, who later played Pharaoh opposite Donny Osmond in the Livent JOSEPH tour.
Posted: 7/8/22 at 2:38pm
I'd argue him being a loser makes his story more compelling, not less.
Posted: 7/8/22 at 3:08pm
Elvis Presley a loser? Absolutely not. He served honorably in the United States Army for two years. He later performed a benefit concert in Honolulu to raise money (some $64,000) to help finance the building of the USS Arizona Memorial. He and his manager were not paid for the performance. He is a hero to many, especially to those with military backgrounds.
Posted: 7/8/22 at 3:18pm
Also, the Cirque show VivaElvis did not do well with audiences (in Vegas!!!)
Posted: 7/8/22 at 3:39pm
I personally don't find his music or his story that interesting.
Jersey Boys seems to be the only bio musical that has had any real legs. We'll see about MJ.
Posted: 7/8/22 at 7:17pm
According to Baz Luhrmann, and stories in Variety, Entertainment Weekly, etc., Austin Butler did the singing for the younger Elvis. The original Presley recordings were done in mono, and not considered good enough quality for the movie. From 1968 on, Butler's singing is blended with Presley's. And the ''Elvis'' soundtrack credits 14 of the cuts to Butler. I read an interview with Lisa Marie Presley, who was blown away by Butler's vocals and didn't realize they were his, and not her father's. What's also remarkable is that prior to ''Elvis,'' Butler had never sung professionally. Kudos to his dedication and his vocal coaches. The Hollywood Critics Association just named him the Best Actor for the first half of this movie season.
As for ''All Shook Up,'' it was a 2005 Broadway jukebox musical that featured the Elvis song catalog, but it was NOT a musical bio of the King. Tony winner Joe DiPietro (''Memphis'' ) wrote a new book and adapted Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'' and set it in 1955 Midwest America. Cheyenne Jackson played Chad, a motorcycle-riding, guitar-strumming stranger who comes to town. Jenn Gambatese played Natalie, who disguised herself as ''Ed,'' to get close to him. Mistaken identities and comic chaos ensued, and DiPietro played with the racial and sexual mores of the '50s. At one point, Chad kisses ''Ed,'' and even entertains the notion that he might be gay. Jackson delivered a musical-comedy tour de force and got a Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut. ''All Shook Up'' was a fun show that ran over 200 performances at the barn of a theater called the Palace. (A few decades earlier, in 1978, Rick Saucedo, a Presley tribute artist, starred in his show, ''Elvis: The Legend Lives!,'' also at the Palace, and it ran for over 100 performances.)
Updated On: 7/9/22 at 07:17 PM
Posted: 7/8/22 at 8:53pm
RippedMan said: "I personally don't find his music or his story that interesting.
Jersey Boys seems to be the only bio musical that has had any real legs. We'll see about MJ.
"
I'm seeing Ain't Too Proud in Minneapolis tonight, so don't sell that one short.
Posted: 7/9/22 at 4:55pm
Posted: 7/9/22 at 5:08pm
KevinKlawitter said: "RippedMan said: "I personally don't find his music or his story that interesting.
Jersey Boys seems to be the only bio musical that has had any real legs. We'll see about MJ.
"
I'm seeing Ain't Too Proudin Minneapolis tonight, so don't sell that one short."
It didn't make a profit on Broadway. I'm not talking artistic merit.
Posted: 7/9/22 at 5:16pm
RippedMan said: "I personally don't find his music or his story that interesting.
Jersey Boys seems to be the only bio musical that has had any real legs. We'll see about MJ.
"
You’re forgetting about BEAUTIFUL. Also MOTOWN.
Posted: 7/9/22 at 7:18pm
treefaeriee said: "
I saw a veryyy fancy lab of the Elvis biomusical about two years ago, I think they said it was bring co-produced by Graceland and his estate. It was actually pretty good, it was Corey Mach as Elvis, he was fantastic"
Can you tell us anything else about this lab?! Other characters/cast or who was on the creative team?
Posted: 7/10/22 at 11:44am
Posted: 9/30/22 at 7:32pm
Baz agrees!! https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Baz-Luhrmann-Teases-the-Possibility-of-an-ELVIS-Stage-Musical-20220930
Posted: 9/30/22 at 9:13pm
I can't imagine "Elvis" show being interesting anymore because we all know the story from beginning to end and what could a show add that would compel us to see it. Majority of us have heard all his music for decades so I can't see how anybody could bring something "fresh" to a new show about Elvis.
Actually, I wondered what happened to "Backbeat" which was a musical about the Beatles before they became famous. I thought at one time it might be brought to Broadway. I thought it played in London for a while, not sure how well it was received by critics and audience.
Posted: 2/24/26 at 9:44am
Baz Luhrmann confirms they’re developing an Elvis stage musical.
Posted: 2/24/26 at 10:04am
I was not a fan of Baz's Elvis movie, so I'm not interested.
Updated On: 2/24/26 at 10:04 AM
Posted: 2/24/26 at 10:04am
Call_me_jorge said: "Baz Luhrmann confirms they’re developing an Elvis stage musical."
The Broadway --> Las Vegas transformation is almost complete.
Updated On: 2/24/26 at 10:04 AM
Posted: 2/24/26 at 10:31am
Highland Guy said: "Elvis Presley a loser? Absolutely not. He served honorably in the United States Army for two years. He later performed a benefit concert in Honolulu to raise money (some $64,000) to help finance the building of the USS Arizona Memorial. He and his manager were not paid for the performance. He is a hero to many, especially to those with military backgrounds."
I'm sure you understand how someone who did these things could stil be a loser in various other ways (treatment of women, drug issues, narcissism, a kind of arrested development). I doubt the common denominator among "those with military backgrounds" is citing Elvis as a personal hero.
Updated On: 2/24/26 at 10:31 AM
Posted: 2/24/26 at 10:57am
The Elvis story has been told and retold to the point that virtually anything would come off like a cheap Vegas side show. There are lots of great stories that could be told about music legends, but the most interesting stories are not necessarily the most marketable musically. The compassion and generosity of Johnny Cash toward other artists (Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan to name two) is much more compelling than his music, but not exactly Broadway material. The careers of John Prine and Steve Goodman were propelled from the Chicago bar scene to a far broader audience due to the generosity of Paul Anka of all people. The night that happened is a great story in itself. The way Roy Orbison’s Black and White Night came together is another great story. The point is that classic music doesn’t always come as a result of a great story, and great stories often come from niche music genres that are not likely to interest a Broadway audience. Too bad. I love a good story that introduces me to the music. Broadway needs the music to be bigger than the story in order to draw an audience.
