Here is my latest review, the Elvis musical, Love Me Tender at Milton Keynes Theatre.
This review originally featured on the 'About Milton Keynes' website.
Love Me Tender
Elvis gave us more than 102 singles and 70 albums in his
lifetime. How do you narrow that down to
25 well known Elvis songs for a show? Well
they have as Love Me Tender is a new musical that has given Elvis songs the
same treatment as Mamma Mia for Abba and We Will Rock You for Queen.
Set in the 1950’s, it tells the story of a small town in mid-west
America that is about to be hit with a huge dose of rock ‘n’ roll. A stranger comes to town and Natalie, the
tomboy mechanic falls for him. A simple
story of love. And love is the star
attraction as almost everyone in the town starts falling in love with each
other. A perfect set to deliver some
Elvis magic.
The show
stars award-winning singer Mica Paris as local bar owner and there is no doubt
that she is the star of the show. She
really does sing Elvis beautifully. It
is a shame she does not get more songs to herself as she really makes Elvis
work for her and the audience definitely wanted more. The show also stars Shaun Williamson,
best known for his part as Barry in EastEnders. He plays Jim, Natalie’s dad and although he
might be considered the comedy element in the show, actually Shaun does Elvis
proud. He must secretly be an Elvis fan
as he delivers his songs with compassion and affection.
‘Natalie’ is played by Laura Tebbutt and she really gives an excellent all-round
performance and has a lovely voice. Her
love interest is the roustabout ‘Chad’, played by Ben Lewis. He has the tightest jeans I have ever seen and
can wiggle his hips in them too. Not
easy when singing and dancing. All that
is missing is a big quiff. That would
have completed the ‘look’ and made it more authentic.
The show opens to Jailhouse Rock and it is a well- choreographed scene. Be ready for the start of the show as the
lights don’t get dimmed straight away so some audience members were still
talking with the performers on stage. In
this scene there is also a man on the toilet, which I am sure some members of
the audience will find funny but devoted Elvis fans might find this in poor
taste considering how The King passed away.
It is described as a musical comedy and there is a lot of humour in the
show. One of the best lines was when
Lorraine and Dean are falling in love and she quotes Romeo & Juliet. Another humorous moment is the use of ‘It’s
now or never’ each time someone falls in love.
Heartbreak Hotel gives you a good insight into how well all the cast can
sing as many individuals get a line to themselves. It’s a great scene in the bar and really uses
the song well.
There are a lot of familiar Elvis songs and quite a few that are not so
familiar, but with ‘blue suede shoes, ‘can’t help falling in love with you’, ‘If
I can dream’ and ‘burning love’ there is something for everyone.
The show left me feeling I need more Elvis in my life.
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