'All Shook Up' Jukebox Musical Performance at Albert Einstein High School

From The Cappies: Looking for a carefree, hilarious, lighthearted night out? Well, come on down to Albert Einstein High School and get "All Shook Up" at this bluesy and raucous musical about mix-ups, mayhem, and love above all!Based on the Shakespearean classic "Twelfth Night" and the hit music of Elvis Presley, with a book written by Joe DiPietro, this hip-swiveling jukebox musical tells the story of Chad, a rollicking roustabout who arrives in a dreary town to shake things up. Upon his arrival, he shows the people the power of love and music, and, soon enough, love, dancing, and music abound.

The show made a brief appearance on Broadway, opening in March of 2005 and closing six months later in September, but it has appeared in regional, college, and school theatres all over the US, as well as in the UK in a June 2015 tour.With intense choreography, difficult vocals that stray from the traditional musical theatre sound, and a swirling story line with multiple characters and relationships, there is no doubt that this show is quite the beast to tackle. The students at Einstein, however, appeared undaunted, balancing all these while keeping character alive and doing justice to an intentionally corny but lovable script.A clear MVP in this production was found in Gabbie Ballesteros, who portrayed the character of Natalie, a young mechanic who falls for Chad, with comedy, heart, and grace.

Her clear and impressive vocals shone in tandem with her energetic and professional dancing, and she was committed to character throughout, even when not speaking. Alongside her, Samuel Intrater kept the audience cracking up with his honest and hilarious portrayal of Chad, a self-proclaimed "guitar-playin' roustabout". His comedic timing was consistently excellent, and his voice was well-suited for the style of music. Together, Ballesteros and Intrater played off each other and others excellently to make their characters believable, relatable, and comedic.Other notable performances came from actors such as Philippos Sourvinos and Tom Fulton. Sourvinos, who played the lovable Dennis, Natalie's best friend (and secret, unrequited admirer), portrayed the role with humor, wit, and sympathy, often garnering "awwws" from the audience with his sweet voice and lovable demeanor.

Fulton, while not having many lines in his role, kept the audience laughing with his fantastic physical comedy and commitment to character, which made his few lines at the end all the more hilarious and satisfying.Although the show was extremely strong overall, there were a few weaknesses, that, while not uncommon for high school shows, were notable. Mic issues throughout made it hard to follow some songs and scenes, and the lack of specific lighting in group scenes sometimes made it hard to follow the speakers.

The group numbers, while fantastically choreographed and performed, sometimes lacked tight formations and engaged facial expressions from the ensemble, which had the tendency to bring down the energy from otherwise fantastic numbers. Lastly, although the sets were impressively versatile, the lack of some sort of base set made the overall appearance a bit less clean, and, without a base set, such a large stage had the tendency to dwarf actors.That said, however, this show's strengths greatly outweighed any weaknesses, and it was a wonderful and impressive show.

With vivid colors, jaunty music, and energetic dancing, this show was truly done justice, and I can surely say that I was certainly "All Shook Up".by Devin Lucas of St. Andrew's Episcopal School

Photo Courtesy of Albert Einstein H.S