Blue suede shoes, an obligatory lip curl, and a plot bearing scant relation to the selection of songs – ‘All Shook Up’ has everything you would expect from an Elvis jukebox musical. This abridged version of the 2004 musical features characters with little substance and a hurried ending leaving the audience wondering at the message trying to be conveyed. That being said, the cast of young people did the best they could with the material, with strong lead vocals, tight scene changes, clean group choreography, and strong chemistry between Heer Stav as the Mayor and Seumas Cross as Earl. Whilst the show didn’t leave me feeling any “burning love”, there is certainly potential for its performers to go far!

The Edinburgh Academy, until 13 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Flora Henderson]