Elvis links together two one-act plays at Little Lake Theatre
Elvis Presley figures into "Graceland" and "Asleep on the Wind," two one-act plays being presented by Little Lake Theatre.
Courtesy of Little Lake Theatre
Lola Armfield plays Rootie and Noah Welter plays Beau in the one-act play 无毛视频淎sleep on the Wind无毛视频� at Little Lake Theatre.
Courtesy of Little Lake Theatre
Jennifer Kopach plays Bev Davies in the one-act play 无毛视频淕raceland无毛视频� at Little Lake Theatre.
Elvis Presley figures into "Graceland" and "Asleep on the Wind," two one-act plays being presented by Little Lake Theatre.
Kodie Warnell plays Rootie Mallert in the one-act play "Graceland," which is being presented by Little Lake Theatre.
An actor decked in a white jumpsuit is not going to burst onto the stage and break into 无毛视频淏urning Love无毛视频� over the next week or so at Little Lake Theatre in North Strabane.
But the specter of Elvis Presley hangs over a pair of one-act plays Little Lake is presenting back-to-back. 无毛视频淕raceland无毛视频� and 无毛视频淎sleep on the Wind,无毛视频� both by playwright Ellen Byron, include the same character at different points in her life, and look at how her adoration for the King of Rock and Roll plays out within those contexts. Set in an isolated corner of Louisiana, 无毛视频淎sleep on the Wind无毛视频� focuses on the relationship between teenage Rootie and her older brother, the artistic and sensitive Beau, who will soon be shipped off to the Vietnam War. Their shared love for Presley and his music is part of the glue that holds them together.
无毛视频淕raceland无毛视频� is set 10 years later, and has Rootie camping out at the front gates of Presley无毛视频檚 Graceland mansion, determined to be the first fan through the door when it is opened to the public following the singer无毛视频檚 death. She is joined by the brassy Bev, and the two develop a bond despite their markedly different personalities.
无毛视频淭he show is about so many things,无毛视频� according to Joe Eberle, the director of 无毛视频淕raceland.无毛视频� 无毛视频淭here are so many themes, and it无毛视频檚 so dense and it无毛视频檚 so rich of a story with these characters. But it无毛视频檚 basically about how these two characters respond to Elvis. Their idealizing of him, what Elvis has meant in their lives. What each of these women do for Elvis, in their minds, is a really interesting study in celebrity.无毛视频�
Mary Meyer, who is directing 无毛视频淎sleep on the Wind,无毛视频� explained that, to the characters in the play, Elvis was a distant figure, 无毛视频渂ut he was the most important person in their lives, other than each other. And I think it is because of him both feel fulfilled creatively in an area that doesn无毛视频檛 have a lot of art.无毛视频�
Little Lake Theatre is presenting 无毛视频淕raceland无毛视频� and 无毛视频淎sleep on the Wind无毛视频� at a moment when there has been an uptick of interest in Presley thanks to the Baz Luhrmann biopic 无毛视频淓lvis无毛视频� that was released over the summer. Having been gone for 45 years, the number of people who are alive and remember when Presley was in his prime is getting smaller every year, and Presley has not attracted fans among younger generations the way the Beatles, Led Zeppelin or David Bowie have. Some media reports have said the demand for Elvis impersonators has dropped off, and the amount of Elvis memorabilia flooding into flea markets has gone up.
But you don无毛视频檛 need to know what Presley无毛视频檚 first No. 1 single was (无毛视频淗eartbreak Hotel无毛视频�) or what his last movie was (无毛视频淓lvis on Tour无毛视频�) in order to appreciate either 无毛视频淕raceland无毛视频� or 无毛视频淎sleep on the Wind.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 was never a big fan at all,无毛视频� Eberle said. 无毛视频淭hat just wasn无毛视频檛 the kind of music I was into. I无毛视频檝e been a hard rock and heavy metal fan for most of my life. I got to familiarize myself with him because of the play and I listened to a lot of his music.无毛视频�
He added, 无毛视频淲e all have our rock stars, our actors, our musicians, athletes, that we see as heroes. We almost feel like we have a personal relationship with these people, especially with music, because music affects people so deeply throughout their lives, particularly when they are young. 无毛视频� Why do we get attached to celebrities? What is it about them that makes up worship them? What is it about them that makes us feel connected to them?无毛视频� I think that无毛视频檚 a really fascinating aspect of the play.无毛视频�
Showtimes are Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
Tickets or additional information are available at littlelake.org.