“Heartbreak Hotel" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- March 12 through May 3.
Wednesday, March 12, through Saturday, May 3
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1282 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Hailed by Show Biz Chicago as "an absolute gem of a show" and by Chicago on Stage as "destined to be a runaway hit," the Elvis Presley salute Heartbreak Hotel makes its Quad Cities debut with a March 12 through May 3 run at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, this tune-filled smash also lauded by Chicago Stage and Screen as a show that "gives fascinating insight to the music industry."
His singular name still evokes immediate recognition from people all over the world, and the official Elvis Presley bio-musical Heartbreak Hotel takes a closer look at the rock star and incomparable icon whose impact shaped the history of music and culture. Trapped in a moment of crisis, his younger self guides Elvis older self through pivotal moments of his life that led him to become “The King of Rock and Roll.” Loaded with musical numbers guaranteed to get audiences singing along and dancing in their seats, Heartbreak Hotel features more than 40 Elvis Presley hits and iconic songs, among them: “That’s All Right,” “All Shook Up,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Burning Love,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Are You Lonesome,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.”
Making his Circa '21 directorial debut with Heartbreak Hotel is Scott Moreau, the star and creator of the dinner theatre's New Year's Eve smash Walkin' the Line: A Tribute to Johnny Cash. Moreau made his professional directorial debut with Ring of Fire at the Round Barn Theatre in 2011, and has since directed Million Dollar Quartet at Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan and assistant directed at the Springer Opera House, both while doing double duty as Johnny Cash. Moreau made his television debut on the series finale of HBO’s Emmy Award-winning Boardwalk Empire, and in 2013, he released a Johnny Cash tribute, Home of the Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash at Sun Studio, available for digital download and on CD.
Longtime Circa '21 favorite Andrea Moore's serves as Heartbreak Hotel's choreographer, while beloved area talent Ron May acts as the show's music director. Addition members of Moreau's creative team include: production manager Jeremy Littlejohn; stage manager and props designer Kendall McKasson; technical director Richard Baker; set designer and scenic artist Becky Meissen; costume designer Bradley Robert Jensen; projection designer Khalil Hacker; lighting designer Heather Hauskins; sound designer Dylan Dutro; assistant stage manager and deck captain Emmett Boedeker; and executive producer Dennis Hitchcock.
Heartbreak Hotel's main Elvis figure is portrayed by Corey McKinney, while younger versions are enacted by Fulton Young and Jax Juntley, and the notorious Colonel Tom Parker is played by Circa '21 favorite Tom Walljasper. Elvis' mother Gladys is portrayed by Shelley Walljasper, with Priscilla Presley played by Rachel Winter, and the show's ensemble is completed by: Bobby Becher; Brad Hauskins; Dwan Hayes; Gregory Holmes Jr.; Milan Loreal; Brandon Pollard; Alondra Schuck; Ben Smallwood; Tristan Layne Tapscott; Kyle Wells; Laura Whittenberger; and Tarik Ziegler.
In addition to its 7:30 p.m. public previews on March 12 and 13, Heartbreak Hotel runs in Rock Island from March 14 through May 3, with performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 5:30 p.m.; and Wednesday afternoons at 1:15 p.m. All shows will be preceded by meals and pre-show entertainment by the theatre's performing wait staff of Circa '21 Bootleggers, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
