Monday, November 4, 2019

"All Shook Up (2)," Dress Rehearsal, Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA


The Broadway musical, "All Shook Up," opened recently for a six performance run at Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT). They sold out so quickly that two additional shows were added to try to meet demand.

This is Part 2 of a four part series that covers the final two dress rehearsals. This post covers Act 2 of the first dress rehearsal. Part 1 is at this link. Part 3 is at this link. Part 4 is at this link.

Demand has been so strong this season for all the shows at PBT that owners Bob and Sandy Malone have often had to add extra performances to meet the need. You should consider purchasing season tickets for next summer (they go on sale in December) to ensure a seat in advance. For tickets and information, you can contact PBT online at this link or by phone: 508-224-4888.

The plot of "All Shook Up" is: "Inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley. It's 1965, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy that'll have you jumping out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Jailhouse Rock' and 'Don't Be Cruel'." (Source: PBT)

Many members of the PBT team that make all this happen behind the scenes include:

Owners, Guardians, and Producers: Bob and Sandy Malone
Directors: Jennifer Farrell and Daniel Burmester
Musical Director: Christopher Ricci
Production Manager: Joshua Patino
Stage Manager: Ross Magnant
Asst. Stage Manager: Rosa D'Ambrosio
Choreographer: Jennifer Farrell
Dance Captain: Thomas Doelger
Costumes: Molly Rosenthal
Lighting: Ellie Rogers
Sound: Chris Conti
Set Designer: Joshua Patino

The following images are in order of appearance in the show. (Click on an image for a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).

And yes, I realize some images are similar to each other. That is purposeful. None of these are posed, rather, they are moments frozen in time during a live performance. They are basically snapshots. An individual actor/actress may look better in one than the other. It matters if you are the individual actor/actress - perhaps not so much if you're a random reader looking at this blog post - please indulge me for the benefit of the cast. They often use these images to share with family, friends, and to build their portfolio.































































































Live theatre is mostly a "team sport" so I don't usually comment on the individual images in my theatre posts or single out one person but, this time I make an exception.  This woman brought tears to my eyes and warmed my soul with the incredible beauty, emotion, delivery, sensitivity, and power of her voice. She is singing, "There's Always Me."  It was simply magical. Her name is Asha Hirsi. I expect we will all be hearing about her again in the future. WOW!



I went home and listened to the original 1962 Elvis version after the show.  (The original song was written by pianist and songwriter, Don Robertson).  I can tell you that her rendition is light years better than Elvis's - even though it's "his" song! Judging by audience reaction after the show opened, I think many other patrons agree with me.



























































This concludes Act 2 of the first dress rehearsal.



This scene was from an aftershot as part of a video for Facebook and not actually in the show, but I liked the Elvis pose.

Priscilla Beach Theatre's  2018 season will offer:

"The Last Five Years" in May,
"The Drowsy Chaperone" in June,
"Guys and Dolls" in July,
"Bye, Bye, Birdie" in August,
"Damn Yankees" in September,
"Dames at Sea" in October.

Plan to fill your summer with wonder and delight and support these young performers in their work. Summer - 2018 - PBT - Be There!

(This post was originally published on 9/12/17).


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