All Shook Up

This new musical certainly left the first night audience “all shook up” whether it was clapping and foot-tapping along to the well- known music of Elvis Presley or laughing at the many delightful comic moments. Shaun Cowan as Chad the rebel roustabout had the audience completely in his palms from his first appearance in black leather jacket, white tee-shirt and tight jeans astride a shining black motorbike. With a fine singing voice entirely suited to the style of music – from the hip-swivelling “Jailhouse Rock” to the more reflective “If I Can Dream” – he played the part with just the right cheeky-chappy air and twinkle in the eye. Rosanna Burton as Natalie/Ed gave an excellent portrayal of the small-town girl in pursuit of Chad. Her metamorphis into biker boy “Ed” in her endeavour to get closer to Chad was hilarious. Andy Hurst was in superb comic form as Chad’s love-lorn sidekick Dennis. Leanne Swann as posh museum curator Miss Sandra too gave an excellent performance as the various menfolk tried to win her affections only for them to be ignored in favour of the unobtainable “Ed”. The quartet by Chad, Natalie, Miss Sandra and Dennis “Teddy Bear/Hound Dog” was exceptional. Catriona Macrae and Derek Brown as Lorraine and Dean were a well matched couple and their exploits towards true love added much to the comedy as shown in their rendition of “It’s Now or Never”. Another well-matched pairing was Sharon Macleod as Sylvia (the owner of the local diner) and Iain Mackenzie as Jim Haller (Natalie’s father and local garage owner). Strong support was given by Kerry Russell as Matilda the domineering Mayor and Alister Sutherland as Sherriff Earl. The chorus of Barflies and Townsfolk sang and moved well. I particularly liked their renditions of “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “All Shook Up” and “Burning Love” complete with some delightful harmonies. The set was colourful and appropriate to the mid-1950’s era as were the costumes. Congratulations to all at ERMT for a wonderfully entertaining evening.

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