"All Shook Up"

August 16, 2017 — "All Shook Up," a musical featuring the songs of Elvis Presley, was the only show at the New London Barn Playhouse on my schedule this season. The Barn is in its 85th year and is the oldest continuously operating summer theater in New Hampshire, earning it a place on the New Hampshire Register of Historic Places. A barn is exactly what it is, with rough-hewn floor boards, ancient timbers, and an intimate feel. Cow bells are rung to alert stragglers to the start of the show and again at end of intermission

I had some doubts as to whether I really wanted to see this show. With a young cast and music from Elvis Presley's repertoire, it looked like a production more appropriate for teens. But as I took my seat in the theater and observed the gray heads around me, and watched many arriving patrons using walkers and in wheelchairs, I wondered what the appeal was for this age group. Then it dawned on me. Presley came on the scene in 1955, just when all these people were teens and 20-somethings. They were here to hear the songs and observe the styles and customs of their youth.

The play more than fulfilled their (our?) expectations. Inspired by Presley's music with book by Joe DiPietro, directed and choreographed for the Barn by DJ Salisbury with music under the direction of Robbie Cowan, dozens of Presley's songs are woven into the story line. Just released from prison, Chad's motorcycle breaks down in a mid-western town, and his guitar-playing and rowdy ways send shock waves through the town.

The singing and dancing by the large, excellent cast is top-notch, and to add a literate quality to the play, there are shades of Shakespeare. In fact, it's loosely based on "Twelfth Night," and the bard's 18th sonnet plays an important part. That's the one that begins with "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

The audience, which filled the house, was thrilled. I never saw so many people in my age group quite so enthusiastic, frequently applauding, cheering, and clapping in time to the music. We can still rock!

As always at the Barn, at the end of the performance, all the players line up outside the theater to greet the departing audience, a nice touch that we don't see at all theaters.