By Justin Tam
Staff Writer
Shakespearean comedy and 1950s tunes, the Mira Costa Drama Department’s spring musical is sure to please all audiences.
The show, “All Shook Up,” is a parody of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and Elvis’ jukebox musical featuring the directing talents of Mira Costa’s own drama teacher Carol Matthews. It is scheduled to open April 22.
To audition, students sang an excerpt from a song in the musical. The next day, the students learned and performed a selection from dances in the show. The directors held callbacks where a select number of the students who auditioned were invited back to perform and read from the script to better gauge their abilities.
“I’m ecstatic that I’ve been given the opportunity to really explode on stage the way I get to in this part,” sophomore cast member Buster Baer said.
Baer, who was chosen to play the lead role of Chad, is one of many underclassmen energized by the prospect of this year’s spring musical. For the members of the senior class, this musical represents their last chance to perform in a dramatic production at Mira Costa.
“When the cast list went up I was just happy to be included in the show again,” senior Connor Angle said.
“All Shook Up” is a musical set in a small Midwest town inspired by and featuring the musical stylings of Elvis Presley.
According to the cast, the show is a rowdy, rocking story of romance and dreams where a traveling stranger arrives in a small Midwestern town and falls in love with a girl who dreams of escaping the small-town life. The show features Elvis Presley hits including “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
“Essentially, I am a roustabout who comes into town to inspire everyone to rock out. A girl falls in love with me, and I end up falling in love myself,” Baer said.
Drama is excited to practice and prepare for the spring musical. With a cast eager to show off their abilities, “All Shook Up” looks to be another worthy addition to the Drama Department’s repertoire of musicals.
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