By: Kristiana Briscoe
“All Shook Up” is definitely the best production I have seen the High School put on. The acting, singing, dancing, and emotions involved were superb. Growing up best friends with a family of Elvis impersonators, I knew that watching this show was going to be a challenge. From mixed up lines, to off-key songs, I was expecting the very worst. I was shocked to find that not at all my experience.
As soon as the show began, we were immersed in a world of love, sex, and judgement- an over exaggerated version of what we experience constantly in the world. The first scene was set in a jailhouse, with the “jailbirds” dancing provocatively. If not for their [very tiny] costumes, they could have been exotic dancers. If I had to pick one flaw from the production, it would be the initial costuming; during scene one, the tight short dresses came up revealing a bit too much to the crowd. Otherwise, a phenomenal performance all around, obviously revealing the large amount of time put into this production. The cast did a fantastic job of portraying the time period correctly, as well as bringing their own humor to it. Characters like Sylvia made a large number of sarcastic comments, revealing the silliness of the exaggerated love throughout the play. Male lead, Jackson Cassidy, brought just the right amount of sexy and lovable to his character. Cassidy’s complex character, Chad, was a jailbird who went from town to town to be with different women, and eventually falls in love with sweetheart, Natalie.
Throughout the musical, Chad often looks to the crowd for advice about Natalie/Ed, thus making himself relatable to the audience. This creates an illusion of involvement in the storyline. Other leads, like Amanda Leske, stood out while they sang- giving the crowd shivers. Leske was one of many leads in the musical, but her voice shone above all during her love song to Jim. Jim was played by Benjamin Doern, a senior in Choraleirs.
Benjamin regularly expresses his appreciation for the arts and what they have done for him in addition to society, “It’s important to support the arts; the arts inspire people, and lead to even better art, and better innovations in other parts of life.”
Dress rehearsal for “All Shook Up” at Saratoga Springs High School. Photos by Lightning Rod photographer Ben McDonough.
