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‘All Shook Up’ opening at TBT

Fans of Elvis Presley should get a kick out of Thunder Bay Theatre’s first show of the summer season, “All Shook Up.” It opens today for a three-week run and features one of the largest summer core companies in recent TBT history.

This 2004 American jukebox musical comes chock full of many of the classics made popular by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. With book by Joe DiPiero and a story based on William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” the show first opened on Broadway in 2005 and ran for 213 performances.

“It’s a classic Shakespeare tale with a twist,” said TBT Producing Artistic Director Jeffrey Mindock. “It’s kind of like ‘Footloose’ with the music of Elvis Presley.”

“All Shook Up” takes place somewhere in the midwest in the 1950s. Chad, a hip-swiveling, guitar-playing roustabout, arrives in a small conservative town in need of motorcycle repairs. He’s introduced to Natalie, a mechanic who’s instantly smitten and promises to fix his bike.

In the meantime, Chad inquires about excitement in the town and soon discovers there’s a law against “loud music, public necking and tight pants.” He then decides to incite some rebelliousness in the citizenry.

Introduced into the mix are a variety of other love-lorn characters. Natalie takes on the guise of a guy in hopes of getting closer to Chad, who’s infatuated by someone else. The subterfuge on the part of Natalie doesn’t go exactly as planned even as Chad shakes up the normally conservative town.

“It’s got lots of huge dance numbers. It’s a traditional musical comedy and a really great way to kick off the summer,” said Mindock.

He said the show also contains strong themes of segregation and interacial dating as well as strong concepts of self-esteem.

“It’s a feel good musical that really provides a lot of opportunity to start conversations at this time in history,” Mindock said.

The show features a total of 30 Elvis songs, including everything from “Jailhouse Rock,” “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Heartbreak Hotel” to “It’s Now or Never,” “Love Me Tender” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

Playing the two leads are Farrell Tatum and Bobby Hogan. They will be joined on stage by a full cast of other performers.

As part of the opening night festivities today, TBT is expected to unveil architectural renderings of a new lobby design. The theater currently is in the midst of a major capital campaign to raise funds to restore and refurbish its older building. The capital campaign will cover a number of other needs at the theater as well.

“All Shook Up” runs June 20-24, June 27-July 1 and July 5-8. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

For tickets, call 354-2267 or visit the TBT website at www.thunderbaytheatre.com.

TBT’s summer season is supported through grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan. Serving as the show sponsor for “All Shook Up” is As You Wish.

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