Runs Through July 30th—Don’t Miss it!
Your dear-darling-adorable Drama Queen—no, not Dena Cass, although I hear that pheesh is back in town—schlepped herself up to Waterloo to see the Waterloo Community Playhouse production of—what the heck was it? Oh, yeah—“All Shook Up”.
The night started out with a swig from my rhinestoned hip flask (just in case) and a beautiful boy-toy on my arm. Turns out we needn’t have worried with the flask! Mama could have watched the show completely sober!
I cackled my cold shrivled heart out again and again during the show. So many different things tickled my fancy. Whether it was sneaking peeks at the nice tush and pelvic action of “Chad” (Brian McCarty), or being carried away by the powerful vocals of “Natalie Haller” (Alta Schwab), or being impressed with Schwab’s performance of Natalie as a convincing drag king named “Ed”, the night was full of treats! (In a fun twist, “Ed” manages to make both the beautifully long-legged—I’m jealous of those, bitch!—Ms. Sandra and the cute-tushed Chad fall in love with her, er, him.) This show had so many pent up hormones racing around it felt like a Britney Spears video! Well, you know. Before the shaved head.
Now I will admit, by the 300th step-ball-change and jazz hand, I was ready to give the choreographer a slap. But I reminded myself that this is COMMUNITY theater, dears—occasional compromises are made so that the entire production can still shine, and shine it did! And maybe getting the choreographer a big ol’ bullwhip just wasn’t in the budget. (I bet he has one at home though… hmmmmm?)
Then low and behold, my breath was swept away by this cute little thing playing “Dennis” (Carter Allen). Mm-hmm, let me tell you: throughout the show various characters would sing “One night with you…” to their various love interests. Honey, I don’t need a whole night with him… give me twenty minutes and just a little privacy! (Okay, I might, maybe, have creeped on him just a little after the show via Facebook… and what do I find?! Some trollop has beat me to the punch! He’s in a relationship and straight! Well, may the best *cough* woman win!)
The story of “All Shook Up” is pretty much the same as “Footloose” based around Elvis’s music (and without Kevin Bacon). The town and community portrayed in it are so rigidly controlled—and have been for so long—that all it will take is one brick to be chiseled out of that wall of sternness, and then all of people struggling to be themselves can break free from the tightness (oh my) and dull complacency that was life. Seriously: who the heck outlaws dancing? This was the 1950s! No one was getting their “Eagle” on or “P-Popping” back then. I do wonder what would have happened if folks back then could have seen what dancing would evolve into. (Oh, yeah: they’d have outlawed dancing…)
So with all these pent-up feelings and emotions, “Chad” (Brian McCarty) acts as a catalyst for these townspeople to—in the words of Madge herself—“express themselves.”
Yes, I truly did enjoy my night at the Waterloo Community Playhouse, and I definately was “All Shook Up” and partially breathless—well, mostly because of Dennis but honestly, my date that night was the cutest thing and kept stealing my breath away before, during, and after the show. (But that is has to wait for a different article, darlin’s!)
So if you haven’t already, you should go have a night of fun in Waterloo—even if you gotta drive a bit to get there!—and see “All Shook Up”. It’s something new and fun and different from what you’re used to. (And come on now, do you really just want to see the same ol’ tired people at the bar?) Go see the show!
