It’s not essential to be a dead-set Elvis fan to enjoy this lovely piece of fun, but neither does it hurt.
Hail to the King is not a straight-out Elvis tribute/impersonation; it is more of an interpretation by four fabulous women, who each partially take on a part of the Elvis character. Most importantly, they make the songs their own.
The first “Elvis” on the Space Theatre stage, Stella Angelico, set the scene in her white sequined hot-pants jump-suit and cape, bewitching us with a sultry “Fever”. “Devil in Disguise” and “Love You Too Much” were also stand-outs. Her voice was strong and her stage presence confident and energetic.
A glance to stage left and Angelico was joined by the absolute star of proceedings, Mojo Juju, for a duet of the mesmerizing “Crawfish”, one of many lesser-known Elvis tunes to which the audience was treated.
Exit Elvis#1 and Mojo Juju had us at her mercy with a stunning vocal performance laced with subtle humour and a natural sexiness far more subtle than that of her more brash sisters. She also possessed a very skilful quiff flick which the King himself would have been proud of. Juju nailed “Heartbreak Hotel” in a performance even more sultry than the original; “Blue Moon” was almost stolen by baby Frieda in the audience, but beautifully taken in her stride by Juju, and “Hound Dog” just plain ripped the joint apart.
I should mention the superb little rockin’ combo of tasteful piano, guitar licks that would have made original Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore proud, and rock-solid bass and drums that negotiated their way through a highly diverse catalogue with great skill.
Simone Page-Jones was possibly the least convincing of the quartet, but was entertaining nevertheless in shiny black jumpsuit and vampy style as she purred her way through “Animal Instinct”, “It’s Over” and “Let’s Play House”.
Gold-lamé-clad Christa Hughes entered for the duet change-over with the rollicking “Viva Las Vegas”, before settling into arguably the most fun songs of the show, “Trouble”, “Little Egypt” and “Edge of Reality”. There was a lot of energy expended, even if the melodies and pitching went a little awry at times. Dancing the “sandwich” with two enthusiastic audience members who had leapt to their feet in the front row was a well-received improvised addition.
The finale saw all four of our Elvis interpreters on stage together, swapping bits and harmonising on “Suspicious Minds”, as the audience erupted in unrestrained joy. Even as she was surrounded by her statuesque sequined co-stars, it was still the fabulous Mojo Juju who stole the finale in her beautifully understated style.
Hail to the King was part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, which finished on the weekend. See all InDaily’s reviews at the 2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival hub.
