Erie Playhouse Presents All The King's Women

Photo Courtesy of the Erie Playhouse

Elvis has entered the building.

The King of Rock 'n' Roll is coming to the Erie Playhouse next week, in the form of the stage's latest fundraising event: Luigi Jannuzzi's All the King's Women. So if you're ready to shake, rattle, and roll, you know where to go.

The production is broken up into five short plays and three monologues, all based on the life of Elvis Presley. Spanning decades and locales, All the King's Women takes the audience from 1940s Tupelo, Miss. to modern-day Graceland, from the offices of President Richard Nixon to Andy Warhol's studio.

Elvis touches all parts of this performance, at least tangentially, as 17 women share the impact the King has had on them, in ways large and small. A saleswoman recalls her experience on Elvis' 11th birthday, when he wanted his mother to buy him a BB gun instead of a guitar (can you even imagine?). NBC censors argue with Elvis' assistants about limitations of broadcasting his legendary pelvis. A brief encounter with the King at a supermarket at 3 a.m. changes a woman's life forever. And in a battle of the Pink Cadillacs, two saleswomen argue over who will have the honor of selling Elvis his next car.

These are just a handful of the experiences told in All the King's Women. Some are throw-away moments, while some are existential. All speak to the lasting influence and legacy of Elvis Presley. Long live the king. — Sara Toth

7:30 p.m. June 29, July 13, 20, 27 // Erie Playhouse, 13 W. 10th St. // erieplayhouse.org // Tickets $15, only available at the box office the night of the event