‘All Shook Up’ hits the stage in Berwick

“All Shook Up,” the current show at Berwick’s Hackmatack Playhouse, begins in a small, unnamed town in the 1950s. The community is very prim, proper and incredibly repressed, mostly due to the influence of Mayor Matilda Hyde (Tinka Finley). Many townspeople are in love, but mostly in secret and from afar, too afraid to show any kind of romantic or—heaven forbid—sexual feeling.

There’s a local garage, run by single father Jim (John Payne) and his daughter, Natalie (Heidi Gagne), who looks hotter in coveralls than most girls do in an evening gown. Natalie’s best friend, super-square Dennis (Steve Small), is among the most secretive of the town’s love-struck souls. The only resident who tops his secrecy is Sylvia (Deborah Evans), the owner of the town diner. She hides her feelings with a flippant act of pretending that she loves being single—an act so convincing that she even believes it herself.

Then there’s Lorraine (Luisiana Cruz), Sylvia’s daughter, who is the object of Dean’s (Adam Mosey) unspoken affections. Dean keeps his love secret because his mother is the ridiculously uncompromising Mayor Hyde, and Lorraine and her mother are “colored.” (Mayor Hyde, we come to find out, is aptly named, as she has a secret of her own—as does her Jeeves-like sheriff, Earl.)

Much to the mayor’s dismay, a “Roustabout” named Chad (the charming Dan Kleinmann) comes roaring into town one day on a motorcycle. An Elvis look-alike with James Dean’s attitude, he makes all the girls swoon, especially Natalie. (This at first dismays Dennis, but when Chad makes him his sidekick, it cheers Dennis somewhat.)

Something about Chad’s rebellious ways, including the encouragement he gives Dean and Lorraine to fight for their interracial love, gives the whole town a boost of courage. Elvis song by Elvis song, people slowly start coming together. The audience loves it, but it pisses off the mayor to no end.

Then Miss Sandra (the angelic Linette Miles), the new museum curator, opens her doors, and all the men find her bespectacled, cardigan-covered figure impossible to resist, especially Chad. There’s only one problem: Chad decides that Dennis isn’t exactly sidekick material and brings Ed on board. The thing is, Ed’s not Ed. He’s Natalie, dressed up like a boy. Of all the guys who chase Miss Sandra in the small town, Ed is the only one who catches her attention. When Sandra takes her bun down and her glasses off and puts on a skintight, flashy dress, the result is eyecatching, to say the least.

“All Shook Up” is a lot like “Footloose,” in that the music really helps the rock ’n’ roll action along. In this case, the music is all Elvis Presley’s. The play is musically directed beautifully by Catherine York and includes some unbelievable choreography by Tanya West. The script is fun, Jeff Seabaugh’s casting and directing are incredible, and the performance of the entire cast made for one hell of a rocking evening.

As always, with a large cast, I lament the inability to name them all, but Heidi Gagne brings something to the stage that cannot be trained, taught or learned. She is simply fun to watch, and her amazing pipes are another plus. Linette Miles’ comedic timing is topped only by her voice, which is gorgeous and strong. There’s something hypnotic about each note she sings. Dan Kleinmann’s pelvis isn’t quite as adulterous as the King’s, but his voice is romantic and sweet, and his comedic timing is nearly as brilliant as Miles’. Deborah Evans is a thorough and complete actor who, like the rest of the cast, has a voice that resonates in the ear and warms the heart. Steve Small gives nerdiness some dignity and a whole lot of fun.

Which is just what this show is. Every note, every lyric, every line is fun, and the Berwick barn is alive with music and laughter.

“All Shook Up” runs from through Aug. 23 at Hackmatack Playhouse, 538 School St., Berwick, Maine. Shows are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Thursdays. For reservations, call 207-698-1807.