Written By: Mark Armstrong
Everybody knows who Elvis Presley is, but do you know the full story of his career, and in particular his resurgence in the late 1960s? That is what the show This Is Elvis is all about, and it will be at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre this Tuesday. We spoke to Steve Michaels, who plays the King himself, about the production, his love of music, and how Elvis may have fared in today’s musical landscape.
Tell us about the This Is Elvis show.
Well, this show spotlights a pivotal moment in Elvis Presley’s career. It begins in 1968, so it’s kind of a snapshot of a moment in time in Elvis’ life. It includes the Comeback Special, and Elvis himself was so busy for so many years making all of his music and movies that he kind of lost touch to music and to his fans. It was then devised and planned that it was time for Elvis to get back into the public’s eye, and show that he was still musically relevant. So, that’s where the idea of the Comeback came from, and at first the TV special was just called Elvis. Of course, he smashed it and was just incredible, and that just brings momentum to his career. From there, Elvis wanted to go and tour with all of his old mates from the 1950s, but the Colonel had something entirely different in store for him, and that was Vegas. For what we see as an audience member, I would say that there are three phases within this show. The audience member starts out as a visitor at the Burbank Studios within NBC Studios watching the ’68 Comeback. Then, they become audience members watching a musical, with the dialogue and the story of Elvis’ journey. And then it book-ends and finishes off with a spectacular 1969 Vegas performance at the Las Vegas International Hotel. So, you get everything within two hours. You get a great amount of music and a wonderful story.
You have come over from North America to perform in this role. When did you first decide to become a musician?
Well, I’m from a small suburb just off of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When I started out this path, I was, and still am, an avid Elvis fan. It was only when I picked up the microphone for the very first time and put together a band to pay tribute to Elvis that I realised that I was going to be in this profession for the last 20 years. It was kind of a leap of faith; I didn’t really know where I was going, but I knew what I wanted to do, and I’ve been fortunate now that I’ve been professionally working at this now for 20 years and I’ve had this opportunity of a lifetime to perform and act as, and be, my idol Elvis for this show, This Is Elvis.
You have performed as Elvis on many occasions, and you have played alongside some of Elvis’ band-mates, including DJ Fontana and Jerry Scheff. When were you first discovered to potentially play Elvis, and how did it come about that you would perform alongside a number of his former band-mates?
What a trip to be on stage and looking over at these guys who have shared the stage with Elvis. It kind of feels like, “What am I doing here?” (Laughs) I must pale in comparison to the man himself. They enjoy playing the music so much. DJ Fontana in particular is such a gentleman. I’ve actually had the opportunity in the past to recreate the ’68 jam session that we pay homage to in the show with DJ Fontana himself banging on the guitar case. It’s an incredible ride; I’m really enjoying it, I can’t complain.
You’ve performed in this show all over the world. What have been some of your favourite locations to perform in?
Well, Australia was beautiful. But besides that, and I’m not just saying this because I’m part of this incredible UK tour presented by Bill Kenwright, I have to say that the most incredible fans that I’ve ever played to have been right here in the UK. We were just up in Cardiff last week, and the people were just phenomenal. Being here since arriving on January 8, starting my performances on January 24 and opening in Windsor, and then being on tour from Windsor up to Edinburgh and back down and all in between and over to Weston Super Mare, I’ve had this opportunity to see so much of the UK, and the fans have been incredible. Also, I have to say that because of my passion for music – I love all music, I love The Beatles – I am just itching to take in the Cavern and soak up some of The Beatles experiences and rock ‘n’ roll history. I’m almost like a kid at Christmas right now knowing that I’m days away from performing in Liverpool. It’s like the UK Graceland for The Beatles! (Laughs)
The music industry has greatly changed since Elvis’ time. How do you believe that he would have adapted to the modern world of music, if he had been around today?
He was only a young man when he passed; he was only 42 when he passed in 1977. At that point, music was just beginning to change and go into more dance and disco. You could hear that his music was shifting that way on his last Moody Blue album, with the incredible song Way Down. It has a disco beat to it. So, I believe that he probably would have stayed very temporary, and then in the ’80s, my gut feeling is that he probably would have geared towards the country sounds of the likes of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. He probably would have rode that musical wave. After that … I don’t think we would have heard anything like Grunge Elvis (laughs). But Paul Anka did a rock/swing album. So, I think he would have just made music that suited him.
Finally, what can the Liverpool audience expect from This Is Elvis?
Well, as I alluded to earlier, to say that it is a tribute show would be underselling everything about it. We do pay tribute to the most incredible rock ‘n’ roll icon of all-time. We do of course hold and respect Elvis and his memory like no other. But we also get to see and learn about the man himself, and that’s more on the musical side of things. There is dialogue; you are seeing the journey of Elvis and the struggle that he went through. It’s all done with sheer sincerity, as that was Bill Kenwright’s motivation for this show. He didn’t want a character of Elvis, he didn’t want his production to salute the movies in the sense of the character that Elvis played in his movies. He wanted the man, he wanted him stripped-down, and just the man that would be sitting at his home in Graceland and as if we were just flies on the wall. It is a beautiful journey, because you see that he was a man of his word, and for all the turmoil he went through, he ended up getting to the point that he wanted to get to, which was in Vegas. But the show is a wonderful snapshot into a certain point and a part of his life, and it’s a story that has not been told before. As an Elvis fan, I know it hasn’t been told before! (Laughs)
This Is Elvis performs at the Empire Theatre from Monday April 23 to Saturday April 28 To book your tickets, click here.
