Elvis Coming to Broadway

Elvis Presley's music will be the centerpiece of a Broadway musical that will debut in the spring of 2005. Though Elvis will not be a character in All Shook Up, twenty of his songs will be included in the musical tale of a magic jukebox.

The musical, which was commissioned by Presley's estate, was written by Joe DiPietro (whose I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change was the longest running musical revue in off-Broadway history) and is being produced by Clear Channel Entertainment and Miramax. It will run at a theater in Chester, Connecticut, in May 2004 before arriving in New York City.

The musical will follow other Broadway productions that have utilized rock music from yesteryear including "Movin' Out" (Billy Joel) and "Mamma Mia" (Abba). A musical based on John Lennon's songs is also scheduled for 2005.

All Shook Up continues a wave of Elvis rediscovery sparked by last year's hit compilation Elvis 30 #1 Hits, which spawned a sequel, Elvis 2nd to None, released this summer.

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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