30 March 2014 (released)
30 March 2014
Due to overwhelming demand Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll will be returning to the Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne on Friday 11th April. The unique show is a dazzling rock n roll experience where Wolfman Jack’s famous radio broadcasts come to life on stage.
Audience members will travel back to the fabulous 50’s with hits from legendary icons including Elvis, Chuck Berry, Richie Valens and Jerry Lee Lewis. The incredible cast features 12 spectacular dancers including Aric and Masha from ‘Dancing With The Stars’ and outstanding vocals by Glenn Craven, Jonathan Guthrie-Jones, Steve Lawson, Anthony Petrucci, and Emily Wellington.
Film News recently caught up with the shows co-creator Adam Bahoudian to discuss what sets Shake Rattle 'n' Roll apart from other tribute shows.
Film News - What can you tell me about the early days of Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll? How did you conceive the idea?
Nina Randall and I conceived shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll in 1993. Previous to Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll, we had created two very successful, long running variety dance spectacles, being The Pleasuredome (dance through the ages) and the hugely successful ‘Go Hollywood’ (as the name suggests a dazzling tribute to the golden years of Hollywood stage and screen).
As a follow up we couldn’t overlook the era of the fabulous 50’s. The music is timeless. It’s the music we loved and grew up to. With countless legendary artists to respectfully salute, the only challenge was which artists and songs to leave out of our show.
One thing was certain, the song choices had to be instantly recognizable party hits that audiences could reminisce, sing and bop along to from start to finish.
Although the former version of Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll consisted of a very small cast of 2 singers and 5 dancers, the show still offered audiences across a wide ranging demographic, all the ingredients necessary for a hit party show! This included, a brilliant music track, strong vocalists, high-energy dancers and dazzling costumes.
Film News - Where have you travelled with the show?
From 1993-1997, Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll enjoyed 5 years of amazing success. During this time, the show travelled extensively throughout Australia and overseas, playing in theatres, clubs, hotels and casinos. We played in some very interesting locations and venues, including Christmas Island. The island was very reminiscent of Gilligan’s Island with one difference….a 5 star luxury hotel on the island, tucked away amongst virgin surroundings. We had so much fun with the show and with our little family. Those early humble beginnings hold extremely fond memories for us on all levels. We were extremely fond of our cast members and treated them as family, this was returned back to us with loyalty, respect and years of friendship.
The last engagement for the original Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll was a sell out season at Crow Melbourne, shortly after the glittering venue opened its doors in 1998.
Film News - There are countless tribute shows, what sets your show apart from the rest?
Shake Rattle ’n’ Roll is a dazzling 50’s rock n roll experience for all ages! The show is unlike any rock n roll show seen anywhere in the world. There are a number of factors that combine to make this production unique.
For example, we started with the 50’s era of rock n roll and totally revitalized it and gave it a fresh modern edge with variety, while still retaining the core essence of the era.
As for the dancing and choreography, we sat with our talented choreographer, Aric Yedukin and decided that we needed to keep our audiences engaged and thoroughly entertained and therefore we introduce a variety of dance styles, other than rock n roll whilst ensuring we did not depart from that era.
Times have changed, and therefore we felt a need to modernize the overall show by bringing different flavors of dance styles to the show including, rock n roll, jive, jitterbug, ballroom, cha-cha, tango, salsa, waltz, jazz and so on.
Film News - You have an incredible cast. What can you tell me about them?
We are fortunate to have secured dancers who are at the top of their game as world championship ballroom/Latin, most of which have been featured on hit television shows such as DWTS, So You Think You Can Dance etc.
The level of energy from all performers is electrifying and this in turn transcends to our audiences. I’ve not seen one other show to date where audiences are up on their feet dancing through the show. Our performers make it a point to meet and greet their fans after every performance. What better way to say thank you to the audience than to take the time, after a grueling performance, stick around for photos and get up and personal with every single person present.
As for the singers, they are not trying to impersonate but rather pay humble tribute to these immortal, legendary greats of the 50’s
Film News - What have been the biggest challenges to date?
The challenges to date thankfully have been limited to ensuring the procurement of the very best performers suited to the individual roles in the show. We have a keen eye for scouting the right talent, perfectly suited for all our respective stage shows. Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll is no exception and we are exceptionally proud of our performers.
Film News - What can fans expect to see when they come to see your show?
Show goers will get a chance to get up close and personal with all the performers after the show, take photos and have a chat. We guarantee they will leave the show feeling totally exhilarated. In fact many rebook to come back and see the show again!! As the Wolfman would have said, Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll is a howling good time!!!
PERFORMANCE DATES
Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne 11-16 April
Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre 3 May