Artpark shakes things up

Niagara Frontier Publications, January 7, 2010

Artpark will get “All Shook Up” this summer. (photo by RR Best)

With a reputation as a place that really knows how to rock, Artpark has announced a 2010 Broadway musical show that’s sure to bring the house down. The Lewiston venue will present the regional premiere of “All Shook Up,” a romantic comedy inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley, in the Mainstage Theater Aug. 12- 22.

“This is the year of Elvis, as the nation celebrates and/or mourns what would have been his 75th birthday,” Artpark and Co. President George Osborne said. “I thought it was timely that the show became available for us and, when I listened to the score I was really taken by the craft arrangements of these Elvis ‘hits.’ The music is actually better in many cases than the original. We are excited to be able to present the first professional performances of this show in the Greater Buffalo market.”

Based on the book by Joe DiPietro, “All Shook Up” is a rom-com jukebox musical with the songs that made Elvis famous and an amusing, tangled-tale of mismatched lovers inspired by Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

“All Shook Up” incorporates 24 Elvis classics, ranging from sweet ballads like “Love Me Tender” to the rollicking “Devil in Disguise.” Other hit songs include “Jailhouse Rock,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

Tickets went on sale Jan. 8 – Elvis’ 75th birthday – with a special discount of $8 off “All Shook Up” stubs purchased. The promo continues through Jan. 31. In order to receive the discount, ticket buyers are instructed to use the coupon code: THE KING.

Tickets are available at the Artpark Box Office, at all tickets.com locations, by phone at 1-888-223-6000 or online at artpark.net.

For more information call the Artpark Box Office at 754-4375.

•A reminder: Auditions for the high school program will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts.

Visit www.artpark.net for applications. For more information, call 754-9000, ext. 142, or e-mail susan@artpark.net.