When pop culture mates with Shakespeare, the hybrid seems to work rather well on the big screen. Case in point: Director Baz Luhrmanns visually stunning Romeo + Juliet. So with any luck, the mash-up should be equally successful on the stage -- especially if the pop culture papa in question is Elvis Presley.
Enter Arizona Broadway Theatres production of All Shook Up, which melds Shakespeares Twelfth Night with The Kings famous tunes. Isnt it great how music can get into your soul and change you? asks director Robert Kolby Harper, paraphrasing one of the characters lines. If youve read Twelfth Night, you know what kind of gender-bending change to expect here.
The show follows handsome hero Chad, a motorcycle-riding James Dean-esque rebel who stops by a small town auto repair shop to get his ride fixed. The catch? His mechanic turns out to be a girl in disguise, who falls head over heels for her latest client.
July 3-10, 2011