Elvis: A Musical Revolution @ Her Majesty’s Theatre 3/4/2024
The first thing you see as you enter the main stage of Her Majesty’s Theatre is the bright red lights of ELVIS, ’68 Comeback Special style. For any die hard Elvis fan it is the single most iconic lighting image representing Elvis. It’s the comeback of all comebacks and it re-established that the King was always King. Elvis still is the King of Rock ‘n Roll. More than forty years after his death, Elvis still fascinates and excites. To think his career spanned over only twenty years until his untimely death in 1977, his legacy is almost infinite.
Elvis: A Musical Revolution brings a little bit of Elvis magic back to the hearts of fans in the most endearing way possible in a musical without trying to pack every single detail of such a legendary life. And what a life Elvis had! It travels through his life from a child born in Tupelo, Mississippi to moving to Memphis, Tennessee where his music journey started with Sun Records, the loves of his life mum Gladys, wife Priscilla and Ann Margaret, the army, the movies and finally to the ’68 Comeback Special.
For an Elvis fan there’s nothing new to discover here but what it does do is let you re-live all the nostalgia of Elvis’ magical charm. It’s a look back at the jitterbug swaying, hillbilly dancing of the era that defined the emerging rebellion of the teenage years. Elvis ‘the Pelvis’ was the poster boy for the hip swinging fan girl frenzy and you get that ‘a plenty’ in the first half of the show. Rob Mallet as Elvis gives it a real hot crack at capturing that Elvis-like persona and while he did at times gives the crowd what it wanted, to be fair it is hard to be Elvis. That’s the magic of Elvis and the show is a sweetened up musical version of his life.
The second half gets to the serious side of his career; the army, Priscilla, Lisa Marie, Movies and Ann Margaret, ending with the ’68 Comeback Special. There’s plenty in this show to tell a lot of the main points of Elvis life but the main draw is the music. The hits that stand the test of time. The show started with Burning Love and travelled through the 50s with (just to name a few) That’s Alright Mama, Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, All Shook Up to the 60s and then to all the movie sound tracks especially the brilliant Viva Las Vegas dancing scene with Kirby Burgess as Ann Margaret.
Elvis: A Revolution has moments of energetic nostalgic fun and heartwarming tenderness. The scenes with mum Gladys Presley are sweet and pure while the young Elvis is the show’s highlight bringing a true essence of that Elvis youth and innocence. Oh, and boy can he wiggle those hips just like Elvis!
Review by Anastasia Lambis