Elvis-themed musical brings music and moves to Nikiski stage

The familiar tunes of Elvis Presley frame a Shakespearean narrative of romance and identity in “All Shook Up,” the latest production of Nikiski Bulldog Theatre that runs this weekend and next at Nikiski Middle/High School.

Director Carla Jenness said the show brings music, fun, light and laughs. It follows a small town where dance and music are outlawed by a despotic mayor. The community gets all shook up when Kyler Allen’s Chad — “Elvis reincarnated” — brings rock and roll to town.

The show has interesting roles for Nikiski’s talented performers, Jenness said, as well as eye-catching sets and costumes and lots of great singing and dancing.

“All Shook Up” is the second jukebox musical the Nikiski performers have staged in a year — following ABBA vehicle “Mamma Mia” from last year. Jukebox musicals feature familiar music, like Elvis jams.

Nikiski actor Oshie Broussard, who plays museum curator Miss Sandra, said she’s fallen in love with the format.

“They’re so fun,” she said. “It really gets the audience involved.”

In “All Shook Up,” Broussard said, people will be surprised. It’s not the Elvis story; it uses his music to drive the narrative and the emotion.

The show challenges the Nikiski actors to step up their singing, dancing and acting, Allen said. It digs deep into Elvis’ repertoire and is “the perfect show for this cast to do right now.”

Playing Chad, the “rovin’ roustabout with a song in his soul and a love for the ladies,” marks Allen’s final high school production. The Nikiski senior said it feels like something he’s built up to throughout his high school career. Though he drives the action and brings music to the town, Chad has a transformation of his own, driven for the first time to stand for something and question his beliefs. He also plays a real guitar live onstage.

“The best part about these shows is being able to forget about anything outside of this room and be transported to a new place,” he said. “Elvis has been around so long that this music is ubiquitous. I hope that we can really get the audience invested and have them sing along with us.”

Belle Morris plays the mechanic tasked with repairing Chad’s motorcycle when he breaks down in town. In an effort to woo him, she tries to change herself. In learning that she’s stronger and more confident as herself, the character follows a journey anyone can relate to. Resonant conflicts and character transformations can be found in each of the show’s characters, Morris said.

The show is easy to understand, Morris said. Music, love and togetherness are important.

At the same time, the show is about oppression and how love and music can fight against it. In “All Shook Up,” it’s a class war, but Morris said the narrative could graft onto any instance of injustice or inequality.

It’s also about “wiggling your pelvis,” she said. “With a capital E for Elvis.”

Shania Weathers, who plays a single mother learning to parent a rebellious teen, said the show is packed with joy and multiple narratives. She finds a romance of her own when the music and the dancing flips her life upside down.

Oliver Parrish plays a man grieving the loss of his wife. He said that though the show is bright and fun, the role gives him more space to act and sing than some of his previous — more static — roles as Patrick Star in “SpongeBob SquarePants” and the fiance in “Mamma Mia.”

Music transforms Parrish’s character, and he said that echoes the way rock transformed culture decades ago. The Elvis songs featured in the show were important to Parrish’s grandfather, and they’ve been able to connect over their shared anticipation of the show.

Kincaid Jenness, who plays the buttoned-up son of the mayor, similarly said that Elvis’ music holds up and brings an interesting rock-and-roll vibe to “All Shook Up.” It’s distinct from the pop sensibility the actors explored last year in “Mamma Mia” and makes “All Shook Up” uniquely attuned to its 1950s setting.

The show features a familiar theme of music bringing a sleepy town to life, Kincaid said, but shines through the other narratives that revolve around that central conceit. He and Kry Spurgeon play out a forbidden romance — like Romeo and Juliet — the son of the mayor who outlawed music and the daughter of the woman who runs the local honky-tonk bar.

Jackson Hooper said the Shakespeare influence elevates the show just as much as the Elvis soundtrack does. There are funny songs and dancing, but there is also melodrama — and a “love pentagon.” It’s “an odd dichotomy,” but the music helps tell those interesting stories.

“Everyone onstage is having so much fun,” he said. “We just want to share that.”

In “All Shook Up,” Parrish said Nikiski is showing off its unique talents — a cast unlike any other in the state putting on a show of song and dance.

“We have a lot to offer for people to come out and see,” he said.

Morris echoed that sentiment. Like any Nikiski theater performance, she said, talent and togetherness will be on display — though she also teased plenty of surprises that the show brings to the table.

The show, Kincaid said, celebrates what art can bring to people — and the wild impacts it can have.

“I think that we need music and love at this point in American history,” Kincaid said.

“All Shook Up” runs Friday and Saturday, this weekend and next, May 2, 3, 9 and 10. All shows are at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students, they can be purchased at triumviratetheatre.org or at the door. For more information, find “Nikiski Bulldog Theater” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.