Elvis is a jukebox musical based upon the life of Elvis Presley, conceived and directed by Jack Good and Ray Cooney. It tells the story of Elvis Presley's life and career, from the beginning until his death. The original cast included Shakin' Stevens, who later became the top-selling UK singles artist of the 1980s and Tracey Ullman.
Video Elvis (musical)
Production history
1977 production
The original West End production opened on November 28, 1977 at the Astoria Theatre in London which had been converted from being a Cinema especially for the show by Laurie Marsh. Elvis was portrayed by four actors over the course of its run: Tim Whitnall as Elvis in his early years; Shakin' Stevens as Elvis in his army and movie star years; and PJ Proby as Elvis in his Las Vegas years, and later was played by Bogdan Kominowski. Live musical accompaniment was provided by the rock and roll revival group, Fumble. Overthefootlights.co.uk records that it played for 614 performances [1] which would indicate that the show closed in late April 1979. (This can be confirmed by the fact that many of the cast went on to perform in the 1979 revival of Grease which previewed at the Bristol Hippodrome in May 1979). The show later went on for a National Tour
Production team
- Producer and co-devisor - Ray Cooney
- Director and co-devisor - Jack Good
- Designer - Patrick Robertson
- Lighting - David Hersey
- Costumes - Rosemary Vercoe
- Sound - Autograph
- AV - Ray Millichope
- Musical Director - Keith Strachan
- Musical Supervisor and co-writer - Harry Robinson
- Assistant director - Annabel Leventon
- Choreographer - Carole Todd
Cast
- PJ Proby (listed as James Proby in programme) - Older Elvis (later replaced by Bogdan Kominowski)
- Bogdan Kominowski - Older Elvis
- Shakin' Stevens - Middle Elvis
- Tim Whitnall - Young Elvis
- Helen Baker - Singer and Dancer
- Tanith Banbury - Singer and Dancer
- Anna Macleod - Singer and Dancer
- Yael O'Dwyer - Singer and Dancer
- Tracey Ullman - Dance Captain and Singer / Dancer
- Richard Ashley - Singer and Dancer
- Paul Felber - Singer and Dancer
- Stephen Leigh - Singer and Dancer
- Richard Piper - Singer and Dancer
- Shaun Simon - Singer and Dancer
Musicians
- Keith Strachan (MD)
- Sean Mayes
- Mario Ferrari
- Des Henly
- Barry Pike
- Ronnie Caryl
- Bob Efford
- Roy Truman
- Paul Urwin
- Mike Harding
- Tony Hepworth
- Mark Hutchins
- Phil Todd
1996 production
In 1996, Bill Kenwright Ltd mounted a modified production at the Prince Of Wales Theatre, directed by Keith Strachan and Carole Todd. PJ Proby returned as Las Vegas Elvis, Tim Whitnall as mid-period Elvis, and Alexander Bar joined them as young Elvis. Various song changes were made to the initial 1977 production. After transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre in 1997, the show toured the UK until 2000.
Maps Elvis (musical)
Musical numbers
- Tupelo Mississippi Flash
- Blue Suede Shoes
- Are You Lonesome Tonight?
- Yesterday
- A World Without Love
- Mystery Train
- Tiger Man
- Loving You
- I Want To Hold Your Hand
- All Round The World
- Six-Five Special
- How Great Thou Art
- King Creole
- Dixieland Rock
- Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do
- Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
- Ready Teddy
- Let's Have a Party
- Tryin' to Get to You
- Too Much
- Teddy Bear
- Such a Night
- Don't
- Good Luck Charm
- Return to Sender
- Burning Love
- My Baby Left Me
- One Night
- Treat Me Nice
- Mean Woman Blues
- Hound Dog
- Jailhouse Rock
- An American Trilogy
References
External links
- Fumble Site devoted to the original house band.
- Alexander Bar Site maintained by a star of the 1996 production, featuring clippings, photographs and promotional appearances.
Source of article : Wikipedia
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