Theater Review: After storm, the stage is shaking like a leaf on a tree

There's a whole lot of shakin' going on at the 24th Street Theatre. No. Wait. That's Jerry Lee Lewis.

The musical that has the joint jumping in the Sierra II Center is all Elvis, all the time. "All Shook Up" is the name.

The Runaway Stage production opened Saturday – delayed a day by a loss of power in the compound caused by Friday's storms. A day late, perhaps, but not even half-a-dollar short.

This is one blast of a musical comedy – better than it ought to be, given the awkward nature of its "jukebox" musical style, in which about two dozen songs popularized by Elvis Presley are shoehorned into a plot that is part Shakespeare and part "Footloose," with some "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia!" thrown in for good measure.

Joe DiPietro (who also wrote "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change") concocted the story about a repressive small town in the Midwest where the moralistic mayor (Anne-Marie Pringle) enforces something called the Mamie Eisenhower Decency Act, which forbids public displays of affection, rock music and pretty much anything that sounds like fun.

Into town rides Elvis – or at least the spirit of Elvis as embodied by a motorcycle-riding "roustabout" named Chad (a charismatic Joshua James, who is not quite the force of nature that Presley was but is close enough for musical theater).

The handsome stranger, with his leather jacket, his blue suede shoes – "don't step on 'em!" – and his guitar, is having motor- cycle trouble and needs a mechanic.

Enter Natalie (the thoroughly charming Kay Hight), the grease-monkey daughter of garage owner Jim Haller (Michael RJ Campbell), who can fix any bike in an hour (although it takes her the full length of the musical to actually get it done). She gets his motor running, and he starts hers, as well.

In fact, Chad fuels just about everybody's rebellious juices with his music, his snarl and his hip-swinging, free-spirited ways.

It's corny and obvious – you know where this is going as soon as it starts – but it's also fun to see love cross the boundaries of race and gender. And it's absurdly satisfying to see all the mismatched matches come together.

Bob Baxter directs the energetic ensemble and never permits a lag.

The kitschy set, designed by Christopher Cook, goes through several permutations, from garage to beer hall to museum to wedding chapel, smoothly and rapidly. It just doesn't stop.

In addition to James and Hight, a standout performance is given by Kyle Young as Dennis, the nerdy friend with a crush on Natalie until Shakespeare intervenes. He is funny, sharp and just plain likable.

Campbell as the lonely widower, Ashley Batté as Sylvia and Megan Sandoval as Lorraine also stand out.

The orchestra, conducted by James Lohman, included some tight horn work, some excellent bass playing (guitar and stand-up) by Verna Brock and smartly tailored drumming by Brian Ivie.

Some microphone static and loss of amplification in the second act was a hindrance. But just as rock 'n' roll is here to stay, a slight plot and an absence of reality can't stop the beat or the fun of "All Shook Up."

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