“I’m All Shook Up”
By: Lauren Hyatt
Elvis Presley is the most impersonated person in the world. There are more than 400,000 professional Elvis Presley impersonators in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Everyone knows a majority, if not all, of his songs; he’s just so iconic. So while I was sitting, looking through the program, I began to hear some people sing Elvis’ songs. It was such a beautiful experience to see a bunch of people so excited to relive something that perhaps they had gone through in their own hometown or that their parents tried to prevent them from going through because of such “suggestive” music.
There were many mentions of Shakespeare throughout the entire play. I noticed it a few times before the intermission and then thought to myself, this reminds me of “Twelfth Night” by Shakespeare. “Twelfth Night” is about twins being shipwrecked and separated, one of the twins dresses as a man and joins the service of a Duke, only to fall in love with him. But the Duke is in love with a woman who is refusing marriage proposals. That woman then falls in love with the woman dressed as a man. “All Shook Up” took Elvis and a Shakespearean classic, and shook it all up.
Myrtle Beach is known for our beaches. Millions of people come here every year and spend millions of dollars on shopping, eating out, and entertainment. This can be rather expensive at the large, big show theatres. They have to pay the cast and crew as well as box office workers and concessions. The local community theatres on the other hand, are all volunteers who do the work for the love of it. So it’s quite a bargain to be able to see talented and experienced actors presenting a show that, in this case, is on the same topic as what is commonly presented at the big theatres, for a fraction of the price. This show is something that you will definitely remember, and the whole family will enjoy. Support local theatre and all of the hard work that goes into making a production. “All Shook Up” is playing at Theatre of the Republic June 23-25 and June 30-July 2 at 7:30pm and June 26 and July 3 at 3pm.