REVIEW
BasOp
present
ALL SHOOK UP
The Towngate Theatre, Basildon
24-27 May 2023
BasOp
present
ALL SHOOK UP
The Towngate Theatre, Basildon
24-27 May 2023
Last night BasOp took us back to the 1950s for a night of musical nostalgia and a whole lotta fun and laughter too, at Basildon’s Towngate Theatre.
All Shook Up uses the legendary music of Elvis Presley to tell its story and to be honest, whether you're a fan of the King of Rock 'n Roll or not, you cannot fail to be swept away with its infectiousness. The show is written by Joe Dipietro who is also known for writing the award winning, Memphis musical as well as The Toxic Avenger, amongst many others, which kind of gives you an idea of where the humour in this show comes from.
It’s ridiculously over the top, beginning with a great opening number, Jailhouse Rock, which immediately introduces us to the hunk of burning love which is Chad, a roustabout, who travels from town to town spreading his loving vibes to the folks who need a nudge in the right direction - and trust me, this is one town that needs one heck of a lot of nudges.
So, here goes......Natalie (along with most of the town's women) falls for Chad however, Dennis is in love with Natalie but it isn’t reciprocated; Chad falls instantly for Miss Sandra, the museum curator, and then Natalies dad does too. Miss Sandra, though, falls for Ed, who is actually Natalie dressed up as a man (don’t ask), Lorraine finds love with Dean. Lorraine’s mum, Sylvia, seems to be the only member of the community who actually rather enjoys having a bed to herself……or does she? If you weren’t feeling ‘all shook up’ before take your seat to this crazy production, you almost certainly will before you even get to the end of the second number.
As you may have gathered, this is a show not to be taken too seriously with people falling in and out of love in a heartbeat, mistaken identities, sexual tension and plenty of confusion. Every scene is fully loaded with great dollops of cheese and tongue-in-cheek segues leading us into each number.
All Shook Up’s director and choreographer, Vicki Purton, has done a magnificent job with her vision for this cast and show. It’s great to see such a vast and eclectic ensemble on stage and every single one of them steps up to the mark. It’s also great to see a company who can not only sing and dance well but also really look like they are having a blast up there on stage. The chorus numbers are where this ensemble really shine and the Can’t Help Falling in Love number really packed a powerful punch to the end of Act 1. Devil in Disguise was another great number in Act 2.
There are some lovely characterisations from the principals and Sean Hynes is just perfect for the role of Chad not just in his physicality but vocally too. His comic timing is spot on and who would ever imagine the words ‘jiggly wiggly’ could be so hilarious? Chad rocks his way through the show with ease and is a joy to watch.
Likewise, there are some excellent performances from Katie Lee as Natalie, Charlotte Cavedasca playing Lorraine and Sydney Price in the role of Miss Sandra; all of whom have incredible vocals. I really enjoyed It’s Now or Never sung by Lorraine and Dean (Greg Morgan). I also found hugely amusing the relationship between the bossy authoritarian Mayor Matilda Hyde (Sarah Drury) and Sheriff Earl (Rob Morley) who can never get a word in and the hilarious moment when the worm eventually turns! Diane Hills and Joe Drury (Snr) as Sylvia and Jim also put in endearing performances.
However, it is the role of Dennis, the geeky guy who desperately wants to tell Lorraine that he loves her but just can’t summon the courage, played by Joe Drury which really stands out for me. There is often a danger that this type of role can be overplayed and caricatured but Joe has delivered a character with enough believability factor for the audience to truly invest in and will him on. He also has excellent comic timing.
Alongside Vicki Purton’s direction, MD, Alex Wood, has clearly worked well with the cast to produce some fabulous sounds and harmonies and the orchestra, who are all on stage during the performance, sound fabulous. Sound and Lighting are equally as good from Glenn Oxenbury and Glen Witherall and Stage Manager, Mathew Purton does a great job keeping the flow of scene changes efficiently smooth.
All Shook Up will certainly bring a smile to your face from the moment the curtain goes up, right through to the final Burning Love finale. Put on your Blue Suede Shoes and get down to the Towngate Theatre, Basildon this week, just don’t let anyone step on them on the way!
Review: Kim Tobin
All Shook Up uses the legendary music of Elvis Presley to tell its story and to be honest, whether you're a fan of the King of Rock 'n Roll or not, you cannot fail to be swept away with its infectiousness. The show is written by Joe Dipietro who is also known for writing the award winning, Memphis musical as well as The Toxic Avenger, amongst many others, which kind of gives you an idea of where the humour in this show comes from.
It’s ridiculously over the top, beginning with a great opening number, Jailhouse Rock, which immediately introduces us to the hunk of burning love which is Chad, a roustabout, who travels from town to town spreading his loving vibes to the folks who need a nudge in the right direction - and trust me, this is one town that needs one heck of a lot of nudges.
So, here goes......Natalie (along with most of the town's women) falls for Chad however, Dennis is in love with Natalie but it isn’t reciprocated; Chad falls instantly for Miss Sandra, the museum curator, and then Natalies dad does too. Miss Sandra, though, falls for Ed, who is actually Natalie dressed up as a man (don’t ask), Lorraine finds love with Dean. Lorraine’s mum, Sylvia, seems to be the only member of the community who actually rather enjoys having a bed to herself……or does she? If you weren’t feeling ‘all shook up’ before take your seat to this crazy production, you almost certainly will before you even get to the end of the second number.
As you may have gathered, this is a show not to be taken too seriously with people falling in and out of love in a heartbeat, mistaken identities, sexual tension and plenty of confusion. Every scene is fully loaded with great dollops of cheese and tongue-in-cheek segues leading us into each number.
All Shook Up’s director and choreographer, Vicki Purton, has done a magnificent job with her vision for this cast and show. It’s great to see such a vast and eclectic ensemble on stage and every single one of them steps up to the mark. It’s also great to see a company who can not only sing and dance well but also really look like they are having a blast up there on stage. The chorus numbers are where this ensemble really shine and the Can’t Help Falling in Love number really packed a powerful punch to the end of Act 1. Devil in Disguise was another great number in Act 2.
There are some lovely characterisations from the principals and Sean Hynes is just perfect for the role of Chad not just in his physicality but vocally too. His comic timing is spot on and who would ever imagine the words ‘jiggly wiggly’ could be so hilarious? Chad rocks his way through the show with ease and is a joy to watch.
Likewise, there are some excellent performances from Katie Lee as Natalie, Charlotte Cavedasca playing Lorraine and Sydney Price in the role of Miss Sandra; all of whom have incredible vocals. I really enjoyed It’s Now or Never sung by Lorraine and Dean (Greg Morgan). I also found hugely amusing the relationship between the bossy authoritarian Mayor Matilda Hyde (Sarah Drury) and Sheriff Earl (Rob Morley) who can never get a word in and the hilarious moment when the worm eventually turns! Diane Hills and Joe Drury (Snr) as Sylvia and Jim also put in endearing performances.
However, it is the role of Dennis, the geeky guy who desperately wants to tell Lorraine that he loves her but just can’t summon the courage, played by Joe Drury which really stands out for me. There is often a danger that this type of role can be overplayed and caricatured but Joe has delivered a character with enough believability factor for the audience to truly invest in and will him on. He also has excellent comic timing.
Alongside Vicki Purton’s direction, MD, Alex Wood, has clearly worked well with the cast to produce some fabulous sounds and harmonies and the orchestra, who are all on stage during the performance, sound fabulous. Sound and Lighting are equally as good from Glenn Oxenbury and Glen Witherall and Stage Manager, Mathew Purton does a great job keeping the flow of scene changes efficiently smooth.
All Shook Up will certainly bring a smile to your face from the moment the curtain goes up, right through to the final Burning Love finale. Put on your Blue Suede Shoes and get down to the Towngate Theatre, Basildon this week, just don’t let anyone step on them on the way!
Review: Kim Tobin
