Redevelopment of Norris University Center’s East Lawn to begin this summer
April 5, 2024
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Summer fun for the family continues at the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University with a three-week run of a new Broadway musical inspired by the music of Elvis Presley and a mini Elvis film festival.
“All Shook Up” will be presented July 19 to Aug. 4, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. [There will be a press performance at 8 p.m., Saturday, July 20. For press tickets, contact TIC marketing and communications manager Nichole Cooper at (847) 467-2426 or n-cooper@northwestern.edu. All performances will be held in the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.
Related special events include one-night-only screenings of two of Presley’s iconic films. “Viva Las Vegas,” starring Presley and Anne-Margret, will be presented at 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 23. “King Creole,” featuring Presley, Carolyn Jones, and Walter Matthau, will be presented at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jul. 30. The screenings will take place in the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.
Directed and choreographed by Jeff Award-nominated Matt Raftery and music directed by award-winning Northwestern faculty member Ryan T. Nelson, “All Shook Up” centers on a small Midwestern 1950s town, whose rules include no tight pants, no kissing and no loud music. When a rebellious musician rides into town, the ache of budding love is set into motion, bringing to life a broken-down jukebox and the residents’ dreams of bigger things. With book by Joe DiPietro, this outrageous love story is inspired by the music of Elvis and the mistaken identities of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”
Featuring more than 25 classic Elvis songs, including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” adult audiences will enjoy the well-known music and madcap comedy of “All Shook Up.” Raftery also hopes that the color, dancing and playfulness of the show will appeal to younger generations. “I think this show will make them curious about theatre and leave them wanting to come back and see more,” he said.
Raftery’s production will focus on the show’s themes of self-identity, acceptance and racial equality. “This young rock and roll guy brings a lot of life and color to the town. He shakes up people’s emotions to the point that they are really rediscovering themselves.”
This is the first TIC production of Raftery, acclaimed Chicago-area director, choreographer and actor whose directing and choreography credits include Marriott Theatre (“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoats”), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “As You Like It”) and Goodman Theatre (“Stage Kiss”). He is working with a cast of 18 Northwestern undergraduate students and a design team that includes Jeff Award-winning sound designer Josh Horvath, set designer William Boles, costume designer Melissa Torchia, and lighting designer William Kirkham.
“All Shook Up” has a running time of two hours and 15 minutes. It is recommended for audiences ages 10 and up.
Construction Alert
A three-year construction project underway on the southeast end of the Northwestern University Evanston campus has closed the Arts Circle Drive to traffic. Free parking for evenings and weekend events remains available, but the project will impact handicapped parking and patrons requiring special access to Evanston campus theaters. Visit www.tic.northwestern.edu/construction to learn more.
“All Shook Up” tickets are $10 to $30; $5 tickets are available exclusively to Northwestern students with valid IDs on advance ticket purchase only. For groups of eight or more, call the TIC Box Office at (847) 491-7282. General admission tickets to the screenings of “Viva Las Vegas” and “King Creole” are $10; $5 tickets are available exclusively to Northwestern students with valid IDs on advance purchase only. Tickets for all three events can be purchased through the TIC Box Office at (847) 491-7282.
