Elvis era revisited with style

Tory Regan | 5th July 2010

The talent displayed by the members of the Masterton Amateur Theatrical Society in their latest production All Shook Up is anything but amateur.
All Shook Up is a tribute to Elvis Presley, with music and moves that would make the King proud.
All his popular songs were there: Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes, A Little Less Conversation, The Devil in Disguise and, of course, All Shook Up.
In two and a half hours, the actors displayed sex appeal that would make a nun blush and sang their hearts out, some better than others but all with immense passion.
One of the surprising discoveries was that Wairarapa Times Age chief reporter Nathan Crombie (Jim) can belt out a power ballad like a rock star and not someone who spends all day on the news beat.
Although the singing was mostly impressive, there were issues with the sound system, so at times when characters would get their chance to shine, the audience would not be able to hear them clearly.
Part of this could have been because the stage was quite deep and the general audience, people who didn't have tables, were far away from the action.
But all the actors looked amazing in their costumes, easily portraying their characters and the period of time in which the show was set.
They were helped by the ability to pull off Western American accents and not slip out of them, like some actors have a tendency to do.
As well as great music, there was also comedy, with Sheriff Earl (Danny Clenott) making the audience laugh whenever he came on set.
The main theme though, was love, with each character falling in and out of love more times than most people do in a lifetime.
When Chad (Michael McGruddy) came into the town with his motorbike and his tight pants, he allowed the people to realise it was okay to live and love _ no matter who or what stood in their way.
Directed by Sharon Stevens-Cottle, All Shook Up runs until July 10 at Majestic Theatre in Masterton, phone (06) 377 4708.