A full house and an eager queue in the CBS Secondary, Mitchelstown on Tuesday night hinted to the popularity of this year's musical 'All Shook Up' by Mitchelstown Musical Society and by the end of the night, it was clear that this year's show records yet another success for the ambitious and successful society. 

Last year, audiences were enthralled by the performance of 'The Wizard of Oz' and many speculated that it would be hard to beat, but 'All Shook Up' really has it all and the opening night was a performance to match Broadway standards.

Thanks to the hard work of Sarah Dewhurst and Noreen Hellen leading the musical scenes, the music and songs really stole the show, and from the first song 'Jailhouse Rock' right to the very end, audience members were singing along as they tapped their feet and got swept away into the 1950's sleepy town that the performance is set in.

The beauty of this is also that because the tracks are all by Elvis, everyone of any age will be able to sing along to the songs and even though some of the jokes and lines might go right over the childrens' heads, they will be so caught up with the dancing and singing that they won't even realise they have missed something.

As the audience members took their seats, the atmosphere was building as the warden (Jimmy Hennessy) led prisoners onto the stage, while the eager audience members got ready for the show ahead.

Without the help of the backstage crew who work tirelessly on the set, costumes, sound effects and every small detail in between, the show simply wouldn't go on and the set is so convincing that it transporst the audience into the 1950's town, where nothing ever happens and dreams are relegated to the pillows.

But, as a motorbike engine revs over the crowd and bike wheels are reflected in lights whizzing up and down the back of the hall, tension and excitement mount, as Chad (Mike Breen) rocks into town to wake the townsfolk from their sleepy lives and inject some music, dance, fun and love back into their lives.

Under director Kevin McCormack and choreographer Jenny Hoare, the cast gave a flawless performance on opening night and in light of the stellar performance, there is sure to be a full house until the show wraps up on the CBS Secondary auditorium on February 22.

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