The blue-suede-shoe-wearin’ 60-member cast of All Shook Up! rocked their four shows this weekend of Blind Brook’s 2010 Spring musical. Along with the help of assistant director, sophomore Nora Fisher, Christina Colangelo directed the production starring senior Elana Levy and junior Justin Gluck. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and featuring music of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, All Shook Up! provided great dancing, singing and enthusiasm for everyone involved.

This year’s cast was exceptionally gifted. Sophomore Andrew Silver recognized, “There was more talented singers showcased and the dancing was great”. Compared to other years, the show featured more dancing with advanced choreography, which attracted a larger group of students to take part in the production.

As for the music, the crowd couldn’t have been happier to hear hits like “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Burnin’ Love”. “The music was so upbeat you couldn’t help but get into it,” says freshman featured singer Melanie Greenwald. By the end of the show, everyone was clapping to the beat and dancing in their seats.

The cheerful attitude the play posed definitely left the audience in upbeat moods; exactly what the performers wanted. Senior Daniel Newmark recalled, “I loved the singing and the songs were great and catchy, and I could barely help but sing along”. Freshman Rebecca Kaplan marveled, “Heartbreak Hotel was awesome!”. And not that anybody is playing favorites, but freshman Shira Levine said, “I liked Miss Sandra because I thought she was a really good singer,” but of course, so was almost the entire cast.

Sophomore ensemble member Joe Joyce said, “C’mon Everybody is probably my favorite piece. It had a nice transition from the scene to the song. Justin [Gluck] did a great job singing it at each show and the featured whistlers and dancers did a great job along with the ensemble. It was very well put together.” Each performer, both new and experienced, perfectly fit his or her part and contributed to the overall chemistry on stage, a key success point in the show.

“My favorite part was preparing and getting to know everyone even better,” says junior Ali Hartman, who played Sylvia in the production, “I absolutely love everyone in the cast and spending every second with them for the past two months was great.”

Every year, the finale song during the Sunday performance is a bittersweet moment. While the ending number means the end of all the grueling, tiring rehearsals, a relief, it is disappointing to some. “”The schedule was incredibly demanding and very full for the whole cast,” says assistant director Nora Fisher, “We worked hard at all of our rehearsals right up to show day, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have any fun.”

The cast featured graduating seniors who, unfortunately, have ended their careers in Blind Brook theatre. However, it also included many freshman, sophomores and junior cast members who fully intend to take part in future productions. Greenwald remarks, “With a director like Chrissy I will definitely do it next year.” Sophomore and ensemble member Casey Linder adds, “I am looking forward to putting on another great show, bonding with a new cast, and adapting to a new story and I’m excited to get involved with the show again because although it is a lot of hard work and time, it’s rewarding at the end.”

Who knows what next year’s Spring musical will bring, but of course it is expected to be another great Blind Brook production. This weekend, Blind Brook Theatre really shook things up!