BENTON — The stage is set in the mid-1950s in a Midwestern town devoid of music and love when a roustabout, Chad, rides in on his motorcycle. Chad shakes things up.
What ensues will be unveiled in the Royal Players’ production of the musical All Shook Up. The show will open Thursday and continue through Aug. 20 at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St. in downtown Benton.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and again Aug. 17, 18 and 19, and at 2 p.m. Aug. 13 and 20. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens 60 and older and members of the military, and $5 for students 3 through college age with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.theroyalplayers.com.
All Shook Up is a 2004 jukebox musical featuring the songs of Elvis Presley and a book by Joe DiPietro. The musical is based on William Shakespeare’s 1602 play Twelfth Night.
The musical opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on March 2, 2005, and closed Sept. 25, 2005.
Sponsored locally by the W.W. and Anne Jones Charitable Trust, the musical is under the direction of Frank O. Butler of Little Rock. Susan Dill of Benton, president of the Royal Players Board of Directors, is the producer; Valarie Flora of Benton is the co-producer.
“It’s tempting to string a bunch of the Elvis song titles into a paragraph, but that wouldn’t tell you just how much fun this show is,” Dill said.
“Elvis himself is not in the show, but his tunes will be on your mind for weeks,” she said, smiling. “Those of us who lived through the ’50s and ’60s enjoy traveling back, and others — well, Elvis is so much a part of our Southern culture that you will feel right at home.
“The plot is inspired by the mixed-up lovers and mistaken identity of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, but the ending has a surprise twist,” Dill said.
Elvis Presley tunes make up the score, including “Teddy Bear/Hound Dog,” “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”
Butler, who has directed and acted in several shows at the Royal Theatre, said All Shook Up is fun for the family.
“There is a lot of singing and dancing,” he said. “We have quite a few new people in the cast, along with many who have been here before.”
Butler said the musical, while a comedy, also touches on the racial and class tensions of the 1950s.
Anna Bowman of Sardis is the choreographer for the local production.
“This show is very choreography-heavy,” Bowman told visitors during a recent rehearsal. “The cast features mostly adults, high school age and up. They are doing very well. The music is mostly from the ’50s — jazz, jive and swing.
“It’s a fast-paced, lots-of-energy type of show,” said Bowman, who owns Doxa Arts Academy in Alexander. “This is my first time to work with the Royal Players. I’m having a blast with it. It’s a fun project. I’m excited to see it all come together.”
Appearing in lead roles are the following:
• Alexander Harding Chandler of Conway portrays Chad, the roustabout.
“This is my first time with the Royal Players,” Chandler said. “I’ve appeared in productions at the Community Theatre of Little Rock, the Studio Theatre in Little Rock and the Red Curtain Theatre in Conway, but this is my first lead, ever. I am excited.”
Chandler is a graduate of the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville and has a Master of Science degree in college-student personnel from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
• Hannah Hill of Avilla appears as Natalie Haller, a small-town tomboy who is a mechanic.
“This is my third show with the Royal Players,” said Hill, who is a graduate of Harmony Grove High School and a sophomore musical-theater major at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.
“My character is very much driven to find love in town but finds nobody there,” she said. “When Chad arrives in town, she falls head-over-heels in love with him, only to find her best friend, Dennis, is in love with her.
“This character has been a challenge for me,” she said. “As a mechanic, I dress as a boy, so I have had to learn how to walk and talk as a boy. Then later, I dress as a girl trying to attract Chad. So I am really playing two characters. It’s taken a lot of character development for me to play this role.”
Other cast members include the following:
• Mark A. Burbank of Little Rock, a Benton native, appears as Dennis, Natalie’s best friend, who is in love with her.
• Sarah Clayton of Benton portrays Mayor Matilda Hyde, who has outlawed fun in the town.
• Jacob Jackson of Haskell plays Dean, the mayor’s son, who becomes involved with Lorraine.
• Kyra Griffin of Bryant appears as Lorraine, the girl from “the other side of the tracks” who loves Dean.
• Joshua Grandon of Benton plays Earl, the sheriff, who is in love with the mayor.
• Johnny Jackson of Bryant portrays Jim, Natalie’s widowed father, who falls in love with Miss Sandra.
• Cassandra Lovell of Benton plays Miss Sandra, the museum caretaker.
• Desiree Grisley of Bryant portrays Sylvia, the owner of the town’s honky-tonk, who falls in love with Jim.
Members of the ensemble include Paul Johnston, Randall Earnest, Savannah Price, Katie McCallister, Vivianne Flora, Donna Jo Pelle, Isabelle Marchese and Hillary Bell, all of Benton; Brian Christopher Roberson, Mason Newberry, Michael Allison, Kelton Ramsey, Leslie Tate, Angela Morgan and Georgeann Burbank, all of Bryant; Nathan Clay of Sheridan; Libby A. Smith and Destiny Marchese, both of Little Rock; and Abby Windsor of Haskell.
Dawne Carroll of North Little Rock is the musical director, Angela Morgan of Bryant is the first assistant director, and Matthew Burns of Benton is the second assistant director.