Wyatt Harrington takes centre stage during a musical number in CHHS's production of All Shook up.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Crescent Heights High School’s production of All Shook Up promises to do just that for the audience, in a stunning tribute to the King of Rock and Roll.
In a previous interview, director Jennifer Davies told the Medicine Hat News she selected the play based partially on the sheer number of strong singers she felt deserved a solo. After observing even half the double-cast performance, it’s easy to see why.
With a long list of musical numbers, all Elvis Presley originals arranged to fit the stage, a cast of strong vocalists is required to make the show watchable, let alone enjoyable. CHHS students solidly bring the piece into the latter category with so many talented performers who do all the nostalgic pieces justice, both among the leads and ensemble.
The plot itself is borderline Shakespearian, following the classic idea of a long series of errors and misunderstandings followed by a wedding – or in this case, three.
The story is high energy, heartfelt and frankly hilarious in a way anyone can relate to regardless of their background knowledge of Presley’s work; while there are plenty of songs and even references, the story is universal in a way that could speak to any audience, and well carried by the actors.
The leading cast itself is large, multiple independent stories weaving together in order to paint a fuller picture of the ripple effects which the arrival of Wyatt Harrington’s Chad brings to the small town.
Within this larger cast however, each actor truly manages to shine in their own moments, from Drew Cruickshank’s Dennis and his sweet if misguided attempts to win his longtime crush over, to the scathing commentary of Addison Rittwage as Sylvia on how the fictional town “makes her miss Redcliff.”
Abigail Begin’s Natalie is certainly a figure that speaks to most young women and a standout role, encapsulating so much of what it is to be a young woman seeking escape from routine.
It is impressive that while some of the romantic subplots are sudden, none feel forced; both the script itself and how the young actors carry themselves make many of the eventual pairs seem as if this was always how the story was going to go, and Chad merely hurried things along.
The set of this production is markedly more complex than the set for Beetlejuice Jr, which primarily used solely the projection screen to set the scene. While the projector is still in use within All Shook Up, the cast deploys a series of complicated props throughout to greatly enhance the performance, starting with jail bars and ending with the use of confetti canons to send off the finale.
Like other CHHS shows, All Shook Up features a double cast, meaning those attending on different nights may enjoy a different core cast than those highlighted in the review. However, if this cast is anything to go by, audiences will still be in excellent hands.
Tickets are still available to see the show, especially for the weeknight performances. Those interested are encouraged to visit chhs.thundertix.com and prepare to not be able to help falling in love with the talent at CHHS.
