The King and the Bard: A Perfect Pairing

Wise men say only fools rush in

But I can’t help falling in love with you

When you think of Shakespearean romantic comedy, Elvis Presley isn’t usually the first image that comes to mind. But that unlikely combination is exactly what I got to experience this weekend when I saw Deerfield High School’s musical, All Shook Up. The show is based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and involves lots of mayhem, mistaken identity and falling in and out of love.

I knew absolutely nothing about it and was going to support my friend who played one of the leads. (I saw him in a show at the beginning of this year as well, detailed in this blog post) Watching All Shook Up with no expectations gave me the opportunity to enjoy it for what it was: a little cheesy, a little quirky, but performed with so much heart and talent that I couldn’t help but fall in love, too.

As I discussed in a previous post, productions such as this are just one example of the universality of great literature. At the core of Shakespeare’s works are real emotions, motivations and desires that transcend time. There are quite a few modern movies, books and other media based on the Bard’s work, such as “She’s the Man” and “10 Things I Hate About You”. Don't have time to rent a movie? I found this really adorable blog that infuses Shakespeare into everyday life.

It’s pretty amazing how the story of All Shook Up is still so resonant. The characters are down-to-earth and preoccupied with finding true love; what teenager wouldn’t connect to that? Even though the play was written 400 years ago and was supplemented with the music of a teen heartthrob from 50 years ago, it (along with Shakespeare’s other works) is still immensely enjoyable today.

Want to see some clips from the show? Check this, this and this out!