Take the music of Elvis Presley and the plot line of a classic Shakespeare comedy, throw in a monkey wrench (both literally and figuratively) and you've got "All Shook Up," opening tonight at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre.

"The show is really clever and it has a colorful, fantastical feel to it," says Spencer Plachy, who is playing Chad, the rock-and-roller who hits a small Midwestern town back in the 1950s and shakes everything and everybody up. "And I love how they use the music."

It's all Elvis, ranging from ballads like "Love Me Tender" and "It's Now or Never," to rockers like "Jailhouse Rock" and "Blue Suede Shoes."

Just about everyone in the cast gets to sing a famous number.

Chad is stuck in the small town when his motorcycle breaks down.

The mayor, a prim and proper dictator named Matilda, wants all displays of public affection banned from town.

She's working hard to pass the Mamie Eisenhower Decency Act.

"Chad arrives and recognizes this town's state," Plachy explains. "He ignites life into the dull atmosphere."

Natalie, the local grease monkey who is fixing Chad's bike, falls for him immediately. But Chad is taken with Miss Sandra, the town's beautiful museum hostess.

So Natalie decides to disguise herself as a man so she can hang out with Chad. Miss Sandra is attracted to this new guy, 'Ed' — as is Chad, who's beginning to wonder how well he really knows himself.

The whole town, including Mayor Matilda, goes a little crazy, with love popping up everywhere.

"It's loosely pulled from 'Twelfth Night,' " Plachy says. "And it's really a lot of fun."

Dutch Apple regulars will recognize Plachy from last year's "The Full Monty," about a group of unemployed steelworkers who decide to become male strippers for one night.

He played Ethan, who was handsome and buff, but really, really dumb.

Plachy, a native of Tomball, Texas, was fascinated with movies from the time he was a little kid. His professional acting career started at the summer Lost Colony production in North Carolina (where Andy Griffith got his start). The legendary play has been running for more than 70 years.

"That was in the summer of 2004 and since then, I've been working steadily," says Plachy. "I did a national tour of 'Fiddler on the Roof,' and I played Curly in a national tour of 'Oklahoma!' I have really been blessed to be able to get work steadily. I've never had to wait tables."

But Plachy is ready to take the next step: moving to New York and getting his Equity card.

"I'd like to be able to make a living and settle down in one place," he says.

Why did he decide to make acting his life's work?

"I love telling a story. And I love the collaborative effort of many people telling a story," he says. "You can explore attitudes toward a life you've never had. It's all pretend, of course, but it's really neat to jump out of yourself."

"All Shook Up''
Opens tonight. Cont. through April 5
Wed.-Sat. dinner 6 p.m., show 8 p.m.
Selected matinees and Sun. twilights
$44-$50 adults, $22 students 13-18
$18 children 12 and under
Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Road
898-1900  www.dutchapple.com

CONTACT US: jholahan@LNPnews.com or 481-6016