Brisbane review - All Shook Up: rocking, heartwarming tale

By David Wilson

All Shook Up

Book by Joe DiPietr

Inspired by the music of Elvis Presley

Directed by Ruby Thompson

Musical Direction by Rae Rose

Choreography by Jaime O’Donoghue

Costume Design by Lachlan Hall

Set Design by Ruby Thompson

https://phoenixensemble.com.au/shows/all-shook-up/

August 1 to August 23 2025 at the Pavilion Theatre, Beenleigh Showgrounds, James Street, Beenleigh

Tickets are available at https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1295195

$40 adult, $35 concession, $30 for bookings of 10 or more

All Shook Up is an American jukebox musical, based on an original book by Joe DiPietro inspired by the music of Elvis Presley. Written in 2004, it premiered on Broadway in 2005 and has been performed in many countries since. Also taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, All Shook Up follows a small Midwestern town that is thrown into a frenzy with the arrival of Chad, a good-looking, motorcycle-riding roustabout, who rides from town to town with a guitar on his back, blue suede shoes on his feet and a song in his heart. Repressed by their conservative mayor, the town begins to come alive once more under Chad’s influence. Lovers meet, woo, pursue, and more, all in one zany night that will change the town forever. All Shook Up is a rocking, heartwarming tale about following dreams, opening up to love, and the power of music.

The creative team at Phoenix Ensemble has done an excellent job of capturing the spirit of Elvis in this unique story that is both very funny and particularly heart-warming. This is a high-energy, high quality production, and the influence of Ruby Thompson, Rae Rose and Jaime O’Donoghue is apparent throughout, with a wonderful overall performance to a very engaged and appreciative audience. The set and costumes are wonderful and the confident staging and choreography reminiscent of some of the Elvis movies we have all seen! The cohesion of the 17-strong cast on this intimate stage is a testament to the overall vision of the creative team and the significant commitment of the very talented cast.

The two main leads were both outstanding. Dugald Lowis brilliantly embodied the charismatic motorcycling, guitar playing, leather jacket wearing roustabout Chad, and Anna Ryan was a knockout as grease-monkey Natalie and Chad’s best-ever sidekick Ed. The wonderful energy, physicality and overall stage presence of Lowis was central to the success of the show, and the excellent characterisation, versatility and comedic yet heart-felt delivery of Ryan were outstanding. Wonderful leads.

Toby Redwood was an audience favourite as Dennis, the awkward young man who dreams of being a dentist and telling Natalie of his true feelings for her. Redwood’s all-round performance was brilliant, expertly incorporating wonderful comedic timing and physicality into this wide eyed, lost-puppy character.

Caleb Holman was wonderful as Natalie’s widowed father Jim. Holman gave a very well rounded and believable performance, and his on stage chemistry with the wonderful Genevieve Tree as Sylvia, the no-nonsense owner of the local diner/honky-tonk, was brilliant. Both Holman and Tree brought wonderful warmth to their roles and the overall production. Tree’s performance of “There’s Always Me” was a genuine showstopper!

Hannah Paul perfectly captured the romantic, beautifully wholesome Lorraine. Her on stage chemistry with Dean, wonderfully portrayed by the very talented Joshua Bird, was fantastic, and her vocal performance throughout was a highlight.

Grace Clarke was an absolute scene-stealer as the vivacious bombshell Miss Sandra. Clarke’s performance was outstanding, with her exaggerated characterisation, stage presence and vocals all on point.

Constance Acevedo Burchardt as the ultra-conservative Mayor Matilda and Clayton Eltis as man-of-few-words Sheriff Earl were absolutely hilarious. Their almost cartoonish portrayals were perfectly pitched.

While the main cast was fantastic in their own right, it was when the full company came together that the performance really soared. The very talented ensemble contained wonderful vocals and some seriously high quality dancing across the board, adding significant depth to the overall production, particularly in the big numbers such as “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “All Shook Up” which were brilliant.

The cast and creatives at Phoenix Ensemble are to be congratulated on this very enjoyable and high quality production. I thoroughly encourage you to see it.