In Walnut Street Theatre’s ‘Elvis,’ the real Elvis has left the building

Elvis Presley’s life gets the musical treatment in Elvis - A Musical Revolution running at Walnut Street Theatre through Nov. 5. Following a stint in Australia, the production is the North American premiere of the first official biographical musical licensed by Presley’s estate. To review the jam-packed jukebox musical, The Inquirer sent staffers Rosa Cartagena and Beatrice Forman, Elvis-agnostic 20-somethings who didn’t witness the peak of the King’s reign. Here’s what they thought.

Rosa Cartagena: There have been so many Elvis projects lately. Why do you think we’re obsessed with him right now, and do you think young folks are interested in these stories?

Beatrice Forman: Because Harry Styles! He, like Elvis, is classically handsome with a unique voice and acting chops. And he is touring nonstop and desperate to shed the image of who he was when his career took off as a teen heartthrob.

Beyond that, Elvis being in a deeply controlling relationship with his manager and beholden to so many family members who depended on him economically draws parallels to Britney Spears’ story. So I think the story of Elvis feels familiar to us.

RC: I want to see more about the truth underlying “The King of Rock and Roll” — from profiting off music created by Black musicians to his predatory relationship with 14-year-old Priscilla. Do you think the musical grappled with that history in a satisfying way?

BF: For me, no. But I do want to point out that the majority of the audience was enraptured with the show’s version of Elvis, often clapping and talking back at what were set up to be pivotal moments in the show.

With the majority of Elvis’ internal and external conflict taking part in the later half of the second act, the musical felt lopsided. Elvis’ confrontation with his manager, Colonel Parker (played by Kelly Briggs), about how he’s turning into an oversaturated has-been is the climax of the show — as is his fight with Priscilla about having an affair with a costar. There isn’t much buildup to either, nor a real resolution.

RC: There was definitely a lot of good energy in the crowd, though there were a number of empty seats (which could’ve been due to the Phillies game). The jukebox musical is a back-to-back medley with 22 of Elvis’ greatest and lesser-known hits, so there wasn’t too much time that we actually spent with Elvis the character when he wasn’t performing. Unlike the films Elvis (2022) and Priscilla (2023), this musical is more of a tribute show.

I wish we saw more of Lucas Pastrana’s acting. It’s such a marathon of a role for him; he was relentless. The Chilean American actor is also bringing us a rare Latino Elvis! He was the best part of the show, right?

BF: Oh, I agree! Besides the fact that he has the nicest arm muscles I have ever seen, he did a really excellent job of carrying the show without pulling the spotlight away from standout performances from Colonel Parker, his high school sweetheart, Dixie (Jenna Pastuszek), and the ensemble. Elvis is in just about every scene, but he only dominates when the show calls for it.

Who else stood out to you?

RC: The ensemble was on point, especially in “Peace in the Valley” during Elvis’ mom’s funeral, and the medley of “Trouble,” “Guitar Man,” and “A Little Less Conversation” in the finale. I couldn’t take my eyes off the upright bass player Bill Black (James David Larson), who turned the instrument upside down and at one point stood on top of it; a scene-stealer for sure.

This might be unpopular, but I could’ve used less of kid Elvis. Joey Caroto was wonderful in the scenes at the record store and with his mom, but the flashbacks and internal dialogue quickly got old. It was a confusing chronology. It felt especially glaring when, after the news of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, we were transported back in time to a cliché scene of two unnamed Black men describing the blues to kid Elvis. Again, the singing was beautiful but the storytelling was jagged and uninspired.

BF: I think that’s the crux of the problem with the show. I don’t know if a sanitized version of Elvis and his story is what fans — casual or devoted — actually want. Elvis and Priscilla paint him as a complex person, not a pastiche of 1950s rock and roll, which this musical leans into a little too much.

This comes to bear especially with the use of the archival images. The set design builds a shiny and bright world around Elvis, which sits in contrast to the real black-and-white photos of Elvis performing, being drafted, or hanging with Black luminaries.

Case in point: During the song “Are you Lonesome Tonight” stage Elvis flirts heavily with Priscilla (also Pastuszek) while teaching her how to play guitar, while a photo of real Elvis posing with an adolescent-looking Priscilla is beamed onstage. Because of that, a cute moment is quickly rendered into a reminder of the imbalanced power dynamics in their relationship and the abuse Priscilla suffered.

RC: It’s skirted over pretty quickly though, as is Elvis’ relationship to Black artists. While Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Roy Brown appear early to introduce the sounds that Elvis eventually co-opted, it left me wondering, who were the Black people important to Elvis’ upbringing and musical development? I would’ve appreciated having more of those characters fleshed out.

Ultimately, this felt like a tribute party for Elvis. It worked best when it leaned into the campiness, like the movie montage scene that underscored how exploitative that period was for Elvis (with some hilarious plot descriptions for Change of Habit and Double Trouble). If nothing else, it’s a fun night for those who simply want to celebrate the King.

“Elvis - A Musical Revolution” runs through Nov. 5 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., Phila., 215-574-3550 or walnutstreettheatre.org.