All The King's Women

I'm not a fan of Elvis. However, I'm a fan & committee member of Arena Arts and Entertainment and so I attended Dramafest to support the production of All The King's Women. My only experience of this show was reading an excerpt of the script a few months prior. I watched the Nixon excerpt at the Dramafest and LMAO (yes! A 12 year old told me what that acronym meant). The precision was fabulous. It was clear that the director and the actors had worked hard for this sharp product. The audience loved it and the awards received were well deserved. The excerpt was a great motivator for the audience to see the production in full. So I saw the production last week. I found it fascinating to listen to the stories of people's brush with fame. Imagine being the saleswoman who sold Elvis his first guitar? Or running into him at a supermarket? I took a call from Derrin Hinch once - that's the extent of my exciting brush with fame. Thankfully, there is no show called All Derrin's Broads, otherwise it would probably just be a monologue, and no bookings to boot. I felt the cast worked well together. Thankfully, Elvis music wasn't shoved down your neck, the story was more about the people whose lives he touched. The standouts for me were Ellen O'Connor - not only is she beautiful to look at on stage but a great dancer and actor (and a great Elvis!); Rosemary (forgot her last name) - when I watch her, I believe her. She is convincing, funny, dedicated and talented. Go and see her in all productions! She is fabulous. My number 1 standout was Les Lee. Having worked on and off stage with Les, I find him to be the ultimate professional, a lovely man and a fabulous actor. I barely recognised him in one scene where he told his story. The characterisation was admirable. The cigarette routine was subtle, believable, amazing. Les is one of the few actors who knows when to ham and when not to ham, and this character was a no-ham, believable man on the street that we were sucked right into. Good job. Good show. Looking forward to seeing more of the same. Maria