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English/Language Arts Info Sheet

All Shook Up: The Shakespeare Connection

"Gosh, running away is so romantic, we’re just like except we’re not dead." —Lorraine, from

"The course of true love never did run smooth…" —- from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by

Let yourself go! ike a play by Shakespeare seen Shakespeare’s day was going Lthrough a fun-house mirror, All through extreme changes. In Shook Up tips its hat to the Bard, Shakespeare Alive!, his book on especially his magical comedies the Elizabethan era, Joseph Papp such as and A wrote, "Anxiety gripped individu- Midsummer Night’s Dream. Again als, families and the entire socie- and again, All Shook Up’s dialogue ty…The more things seemed to be refers to Shakespeare, whether it's teetering on the brink of chaos, the Lorraine's longing for the forbidden more Elizabethan society empha- love of Romeo and Juliet, Miss sized old concepts of order." In Sandra quoting Romeo’s, "O! I terms of marriage, that meant am fortune’s fool!" or Dennis establishing a hierarchy that winning Sandra’s heart with a looked a lot like the English Shakespearean sonnet. But beyond simple references monarchy: one ruler (the man) and his "subjects" (the or quotations, All Shook Up is inspired by the magical woman and children). But in plays such as A atmosphere of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies, the Midsummer Night’s Dream, , and Twelfth idea of getting "letting yourself go" as Chad says, or Night, Shakespeare tests the idea of order by removing losing control in the midst of love. Even the statues his characters from civilization and placing them in come to life in All Shook Up,infected by this romantic wild and natural settings. In Shakespeare, it’s typically , what Shakespeare calls "night rule." a forest; in All Shook Up, it’s an abandoned fairground. Unhindered by the laws of civilization, men and women Shakespeare used love and romance to "shake up" the become infected with "night-rule": Love turns to hate, established order. During England’s Elizabethan Age passion to anger, and women masquerade as men. As [1558-1603], love and marriage were aspects of order. Matilda sings, "First they lose their common sense, and Like life in America during the , life in then they lose control."

6 Social Studies/History Info Sheet

America, 1955

" of a better land where all my brothers walk hand-in-hand tell me why, oh why, oh why can’t my dream come true – " —from All Shook Up

ll Shook Up shows us a Asquare little town getting "shaken up": in one magical day, all its expectations and points of view are turned upside down! 1950s America, like Shakespeare’s Elizabethan England, teetered on the brink of great change. After the hor- rors of two World Wars, older Americans longed for peace and quiet. But their children had learned the dark lessons of those wars and could not go back to the way things had been. They dreamed of some- thing different, a better life. If those wars had been fought for freedom, they wanted that same freedom here in America. The 1950s was the launching point for a Civil Rights movement that sought to change hundreds of years of hatred, preju- educational facilities are inherently unequal." David dice, and segregation. Halberstam calls this decision "the moment that sepa- rated the old order from the new…It instantaneously Perhaps the most defining moment of the decade came broadened the concept of freedom…Brown v. Board of on May 17, 1954, when the Supreme Court ruled on Education was just the beginning of a startling new segregated schools in Brown v. Board of Education: period of change, not just in the area of civil rights, but "We conclude that in the field of public opinion the doc- in all aspects of social behavior. One era was ending trine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate and another beginning."

11 Social Studies/History Info Sheet

McCarthyism in the 1950s

For any musical innovation is full of danger to the whole State, and ought to be prohibited…when modes of music change, the fundamental laws of the State always change with them. —Plato, The Republic

"Lady, I been to plenty of towns, and there’s always someone like you, bullyin’ people into buyin’ your version of what life should be! —Chad from All Shook Up

known as Communism, was seen as a danger to democracy. Both sides built up weapons and secrets. It was called The Cold War.

Into this tense time came Joseph McCarthy. On February 9, 1950, he stated in a speech that the Department of State was riddled with Communists. The speech electrified the nation and brought this Senator from Wisconsin to the national spot- light. Between 1950 and 1954, McCarthy dominated American poli- tics with his well-orchestrated hunt for Communists in government. No rt threatens Authority. Just as Plato’s ideal republic one dared to criticize him for fear of being denounced Awas threatened by new types of music thousands by him. The cartoonist Herbert Block coined the term of years ago, Mayor Matilda Hyde sees Chad’s music as for this paranoia: McCarthyism. a menace to her control in All Shook Up.Matilda’s feel- ings against Chad may seem amusing to us today, but In 1953, McCarthy began televised hearings, investi- during the 1950’s government pressure against art and gating Communist plots within the military. For the first artists was often deadly serious. time, the American public saw his methods. The Louisville Courier-Journal wrote, "McCarthy has shown The end of World War II had left the world in a tense himself to be evil and unmatched in malice." In 1954, stand-off which would last for decades. The Soviet he was officially condemned by the Senate. Stripped of Union, an ally in World War II, was now seen as a dire his power, McCarthy died only three years later. threat, as the Soviets took over more and more territo- McCarthy was gone, but many believe his legacy con- ry in Eastern Europe. The Soviet system of government, tinues to this day.

12 Authority figures

Authority vs. rebellion

n All Shook Up, the town citizens rebel against the rules, against what authority tells them is right. They need Ito follow their own dreams, to break the chains of unfair authority. This was what was happening in America in the 1950s. On the screen, on the stage, on the page and on the street, artists and activists were rebelling against the status quo. The lines were drawn. Who would you have followed?

RICHARD NIXON After World War II, became a Congressman from , then went on to become a Senator in 1950. In 1952, he was selected, at age 39, to become Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower. He eventually became President himself in 1968, and later had to resign over the Watergate scandal.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER "Anybody is a damn fool who wants to be President," said Dwight D. Eisenhower. For most of his life, Eisenhower was a soldier. He gained global renown during World War II as the leader of the Allied Forces landing in North Africa in November 1942, and the he was Supreme Commander of the troops invading France on D-Day in 1944. He became President in 1952, the last President born in the nineteenth century. His wife was Mamie.

J. EDGAR HOOVER The leader of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an unprecedented 48 years, Hoover garnered headlines during the 1940s and 50 for its harsh actions against Communist intelligence. Hated by many for his narrow world-view, he was feared by more for his secrets.

JOSEPH R. MCCARTHY See page xx for more information. David Halberstam wrote, "McCarthyism crystal- lized and politicized the anxieties of a nation living in a dangerous new era."

14 Rebels

MARLON BRANDO He represented the wild, the untamed, the confused teenag- er entering the second half of the 20th century. He led the battle against conformity, against the norm. He was the ultimate rebel. In his film , he’s a member of a motorcycle club. "What are you rebelling against?" he’s asked. "Waddya got?" he replies. The entertainer Jackie Gleason said that was a "guitar- playing ." MARTIN LUTHER KING One of the most beloved and influ- ential figures in American history, King gained prestige as a civil rights organizer when he led the successful Montgomery bus boy- cott in 1955–56.

ROSA PARKS A retired seamstress, her refusal to give up her seat for a white man sparked the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, a pivotal flashpoint in the Civil Rights movement.

ALAN FREED During the summer of 1951, began The Moondog Show on a radio station in Cleveland, calling himself the Moondog. With this powerful microphone, Freed promoted during a time when many still believed it was evil. He is credited by many with bringing together white and black teenagers with the power of music.

15 Social Studies/History Info Sheet

1955 in a nutshell

The fictional events of All Shook Up take place in the year 1955. Here are some REAL events that occurred during that important year: • On January 14, in New York , DJ Alan Freed (see page xx) produces the first concert.

• The film Rebel Without a Cause, starring is released. Dean is killed in a car crash on September 30th.

• On March 16th, President Eisenhower causes an international uproar when he says, "A-bombs can be used... as you would use a bullet."

• On May 14, Eastern European nations under the control of the Soviet Union establish the Warsaw Pact, the East’s answer to the West’s North American Treaty Organization, or NATO. The Cold War intensifies.

• On November 22, the first Soviet thermonuclear bomb is tested.

• It is estimated that the has 4,000 atomic bombs and the Soviet Union has 1,000.

• General Motors becomes the first American corporation to make over a billion dollars a year.

• The first issue of the Guiness Book of World Records is published.

• becomes the first black person to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in .

• Arthur Mitchell joins the New York City Ballet, becoming the first black person to dance with a major company in the United States.

• On December 1, seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to take a back seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, sparking citywide boycott.

• Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California.

• Rock and Roll highlights: "Ain't That a Shame" (), (The Penguins), "" (), and "" ( and the Comets)

IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION • When Elvis Presley died, President praised his music, "fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and ." Why were the mid-1950s the perfect time for such a fusion to emerge?

• Would Elvis have been so popular if he had emerged five years earlier? Why or why not?

• Why do you think the creators of All Shook Up set their story in 1955?

17 Music

Elvis Presley - Breaking the Barriers/Breaking the Mold

"Ain’t nothing wrong with long-haired musiclike Brahms, Beethoven and Bach! But I was raised with a guitar in my hands and I was born to rock!" —from all shook up

members of the Pentacostal Church, he and his family regularly listened to , and when the fam- ily moved to Memphis, , he was exposed to .

Presley loved to hang out at all-night gospel shows, lis- tening to the music and admiring the singers. Although strictly segregated during those times, these gospel shows incorporated music that had originated in black religious communities. Elvis even went so far as to sneak into black churches to hear the music, which was quite daring for that time. Presley was absorbing the mixture of black and white musical traditions that would later become his trademark. n an historical marker outside the house where Elvis OPresley was born are written words that reflect his Scholars argue that gospel music was the first exam- legacy: "Presley's career as a singer and entertainer ple in the United States of the integration between redefined popular music." That redefinition came in the African and European music styles, stressing that form of a unique merging of black and white musical gospel blurred the lines between the sacred and the styles.As President Jimmy Carther said after the singer’s secular. As rock and roll developed, it borrowed this death: "Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a idea, so that its best – and we certainly see this part of itself. His music... fusing the styles of white coun- in All Shook Up – deal with primal emotions like joy, try and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed love and desire in an almost spiritual way. the face of American popular culture." and music lover was Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, on looking for a way to bridge the gap between white and , 1935. Although his family was very poor, he black music, between white and black audiences. He grew up surrounded by different styles of music. As said, "I know that for black music to come to its right-

20 Info Sheet

ful place in this country we had to have some white Later that summer, Presley made his first public singers come over and do black music – not copy it, appearance, where he began to show off his raucous not change it, not sweeten it. Just do it." and provocative style, wildly swiveling his hips to the music. Many music experts believe that Presley’s That opportunity came during the summer of 1953, trademark hip-swaying was borrowed from the dances when the teenage Elvis Presley walked into Philips' he saw in gospel churches. Memphis recording studio. Elvis Presley’s fame was astounding. Over his career, Philips teamed Elvis with guitarist and he created 107 Top 40 singles and 18 No. 1 records. In bassist . During a break, Elvis began to take 1986 he was among the first inductees into the Rock off on a by black blues singer `n' Roll Hall of Fame. He had had sold more than one called "That's All Right, Mama," and Moore and Black billion records worldwide, or one record for every five joined in, just goofing around. Philips liked what he people in the world! But beyond his music, Elvis pro- heard and asked them to put it on tape, along with moted a style, an outlook, an optimistic way of looking asong by bluegrass singer called "Blue at the world that became the standard for cool during Moon of Kentucky. These intense and exciting record- his lifetime and beyond. No wonder composer and con- ings defined music and became a model for ductor called Presley "the greatest rock in the coming decades. As Richie cultural force in the twentieth century…he changed Unterberger writes in the All Music Guide, these record- everything – music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new ings "established the basic language of rock & roll." social revolution."

What does THAT mean? Bluegrass: Developed in the 1930s, this musical style relies heavily on string instruments like the fiddle, gui- tar, banjo or mandolin. This form of American roots music uses tight vocal harmony, sometimes up to four parts, often with spiritual or over-romantic themes. The Blues: This early form of American music had its origins in African American , chants and work songs. A great influence on , rock and , the blues is characterized with a singer telling an audience of her or her troubles through music in a minor chord. Rockabilly: A combination of the blues, country music and bluegrass. Elvis Presley’s Sun sessions are consid- ered the first rockabilly recordings. Writer calls rockabilly, "the purest of all rock 'n' roll genres." Record Album: Yes, it’s true! Before CDs and MP3s, musicians sold their music on what were called record albums: black discs made of vinyl (a hard type of plastic), cut with very tiny concentric circular grooves. A record player’s needle would move along these grooves and produce the music.

21 Music

Covers & Crossovers

t’s all about being in the right place at the right time. IIt’s no coincidence that Elvis Presley hit it big at near- ly the same time the country was being rocked by the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education. The country had been waiting for an artist who defied strict labeling, who would appeal, not to a narrow audience, but across a wide of - ence groups.

WHATWHAT DOES DOES THAT THAT MEAN? MEAN? COVER:COVER: When When original original recording recording was was expected expected (target- ed)(targeted) to appeal to appealto a certain to a certain audience, audience, another another artist wouldartist make would a makerecording a recording to appeal to appealto a different to a audi- ence.different audience.

Today, those special audience groups are identified as demographics (for example, the "18-49" age spe- time there was a category in record stores called cific audience). During the 40s and 50s, the demo- "race," the code term for African-American artists’ graphic/target audience would be based on race. This recordings. is the logical extension of the attitudes and segregation policies of the 40s and early 50s. This situation was based on the policies of recording companies, which dramatically affected the music Popular (read: white) radio stations and DJs (disc jock- heard on radio stations. Early on, the practices were so eys) were not allowed to play music of the artists (usu- strictly observed that radio stations risked being shut ally Black/African-American) identified with the "other down if they countered these practices; DJs risked side." This practice was so common that for a short being fired.

Remember, segregation was legal during this time. There were laws requiring the separation of races. Culture, in this case music, followed the law of the land: music, just like people, was segregated. It took an artist like Elvis Presley to begin to break down those walls.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? CROSS-OVER: Artists whose previous recordings would be "targeted" to one demographic choosing to record music associated with another target group.

22 Music

Where can you find original versions of the songs from all shook up?

The songs in All Shook Up were originally performed by Elvis Presley on a variety of recordings. Below find the list of songs featured in All Shook Up, with information on where you can find the original recordings by Elvis Presley.

Love Me Tender ...... By Elvis Presley & Vera Matson Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] (BMI) ...... By , & Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] (BMI) ...... Written by Elvis Presley, and Published by Sony/ATV Songs LLC dba Tree Publishing Co. (BMI) One Night ...... Written by and Pearl King Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] and by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI) C’mon Everybody ...... Written by Joy Byers Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP) ...... Words by Music by Published by Warner Chappell Music Inc. on behalf of Chappell & Co. Inc. (ASCAP)/ and by Spirit Two Music Inc. on behalf of Erika Publishing (ASCAP) Hound Dog ...... Written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] and by Universal-MCA Music Publishing (ASCAP) Teddy Bear ...... Written by and Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP) That’s Alright ...... Written by Arthur Crudup Published by Crudup Music and Unichapel Music, Inc. (BMI) Return to Sender ...... Written by and Winfield Scott. Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] (BMI) Devil In Disguise ...... Written by Bill Giant Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] (BMI) It’s Now or Never ...... Written by and Wally Gold Published by Rachel’s Own Music [administered by A. Schroeder International Ltd,] and by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP)

24 Info Sheet

Blue Suede Shoes ...... Written by Published by Wren Music Co. Inc, on behalf of Carl Perkins Music, c/o MPL Communications, Inc. (BMI) Don’t Be Cruel ...... Written by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] and by EMI Music Publishing (BMI) Let Yourself Go ...... Written by Joy Byers Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP) Can’t Help Falling In Love ...... Written by , and . Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP) All Shook Up ...... Written by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] and by EMI Music Publishing (BMI) ...... Written by Joy Byers and Charles E. Daniels Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] and by Warner/Chappell Music Inc. (ASCAP) A Little Less Conversation ...... Written by and Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] (BMI) Power of My Love ...... Written by Bill Giant Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye Published by Elvis Presley Music [administered by Cherry River Music Co. and by Chrysalis Songs] (BMI) I Don’t Want To ...... Words by Janice Torre, Music by Fred Spielman Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP) Jailhouse Rock ...... Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Published by Jerry Leiber Music and Mike Stoller Music (ASCAP) There’s Always Me ...... Written by Don Robertson Published by Don Robertson Music Corp. (ASCAP) If I Can Dream ...... Written by W. Earl Brown Published by Gladys Music [administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. and by Chrysalis Music] (ASCAP) ...... Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Published by Jerry Leiber Music and Mike Stoller Music (ASCAP) ...... Written by Published by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)

26 Theatre Info sheet

Meet Joe DiPietro

oe DiPietro’s musical, I Love You, You’re Perfect, JNow Change, for which he wrote the book and , is the longest running musical revue in off- Broadway history, and has been staged in over 150 throughout the world. Other shows include Over the River and Through the Woods, The Thing About Men, and the comic thriller The Art of Murder.

Describe that process of writing All Shook Up Why did you choose 1955 as the time for All The process involved hearing these songs in a different Shook Up? Was it just because Elvis was starting way. Elvis sang them so distinctly and so brilliantly that to hit it big, or was it because of the social we didn’t want an Elvis imitator up there. We wanted to changes were occurring in the United States, put the songs in a new story and have them heard in a including the beginning of the end of segregation different way. When you have all these disparate songs, with Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954? you need a concept to hang your hat on; when I came Elvis was a white guy singing rhythm and blues music up with the idea of the Shakespeare comedies, that’s for the first time, which really helped R & B cross over when I was really able to write the show. to the mainstream, or to white America, I should say. Elvis took rhythm and blues music and really helped to Talk about the Shakespeare Connection popularize it, and I thought we really needed to stay The bottom line with Elvis’ that it makes a lot true to where that music came from, which is obvious- of people very happy, even 50 years after it was ly the African American community, especially in the recorded. And I thought, what other type of entertain- South. So that’s very much why it takes place then. In ment form does that? And that’s when I came up with All Shook Up, this music unleashes the uptightness of the Shakespeare comedies, which are very much about these people in small town America and certainly love and finding your joy, marriage, passion and all the applies to inter-racial dating and same-sex dating. It’s good stuff of life. That combination was, I thought, all about loving someone no matter who they are. potent and a lot of fun. That’s what the show’s about.

Like Shakespeare’s characters, it seems that the What advice would you give to young people characters in All Shook Up don’t – or can’t - hide interested in becoming a writer for ? their emotions See as many shows as they can, and read as many One reason I think Elvis’ work has endured and still plays as they can. When you’re young you really have touches people so strongly is that he sang with such the time to read and see things, and form your own passion. You really felt all of the joy and all of the opinions about what you enjoy and what you don’t heartache in these songs. Listen to the lyrics of "All enjoy. When you’re young and growing up, don’t let Shook Up." It’s really about needing someone so much other people’s opinions affect you. Read a play and see they rock you to your soul a show, and trust your own opinions, and I think that will inform your writing.

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