TORONTO: There is a saying about Elvis: ‘If you are a fan no explanation is necessary, if you are not, no explanation is possible!’
And so it was on the faces of fans who sauntered into the houseful Ed Mirvish theatre in Toronto to see the re-enactment and reincarnation of The King (as Elvis Presley was known) in the musical ‘Return to Grace’!
One could see the elation and enthusiasm on their faces and smiles as several old timers recounted stories of how they saw The King way back in his days and the excitement in the younger fans who were about to get an experience of a lifetime from one of Elvis’ greatest impersonators, Steve Michaels.
Steve, from Milton, Ontario, talks briefly on how he got into Elvis: “I grew up with Elvis around me watching Elvis’ video performance of ‘Aloha from Hawaii’ sitting in my mom’s lap and took to singing and moving just like himâ€.
Pretty soon his mom realized he was developing Elvis’ good looks as well and encouraged him to sing in front of her friends and at get-togethers.
“I really dug Elvis and went on to do public impersonations at the world famous Collingwood Elvis festival, where Elvis impressionists congregate from the world over†says Steve, imitating Elvis’ accent.
“And in 2001, I won the ‘Images of The King’ championship in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis’ hometown and the Mecca of Elvis lookalikesâ€, he continues excitedly, “that’s when I decided to get my act together and pursue my passion of imitating The King and taking his show on the road. For the last three years I have been performing at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara and this year is my debut in Toronto!â€
Steve did not fail to impress as he strode onto the stage singing favourite after favourite (did Elvis ever do a bad song?) rocking the theatre with ‘That’s Alright Mama’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Return to Sender’, “Walk Like an Angel†and many more changing his garb throughout to reflect the fashion of the times.
He then went on to sing Elvis’ gospel songs for which The King had won several Grammy awards. It is ironic that the man who sang music from the devil would wind up winning Grammys for gospel sounds. The auditorium resounded with crazy applause.
There was a pause as a narrator came on stage to tell people that Elvis was drafted into the army and when he came back got more into movies than live shows and then finally came back to wow the crowds in 1968.
Back came on The King dressed in black leather and with élan breaks into his granddaddy international hit ‘Jailhouse Rock’ (which would blare out from every juke box) followed by other tunes, ‘Don’t be cruel’, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’ (throwing kisses to the crowd – wow!), ‘Love Me tender’, ‘Forever in Love with You’ and more.
He then broke into another of his grand tunes ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and go cat go…) which took me back to the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas where I first saw Elvis in 1972 when he burst onto the stage, large as life, singing the same song .Then came another fast driving song ‘Viva Las Vegas’ which further triggered memories of his performance in Vegas.
The performance continued with hit after hit, but the most memorable moment came towards the end when he really went the full nine yards donning Elvis’ most famous white suit and gave the greatest performance really bringing back Elvis with the song ‘Love you too much baby’, imitating his voice, moves and grooves sans pareil, even as women from the audience came up to accept his scarves and smother him with kisses. This was the ultimate! This was as magnificent as it gets! It was as if Elvis had descended from the heavens!
If you are a fan, don’t miss this awesome tribute to an amazing musical genius and icon! It goes until July 20. Check http://www.mirvish.com/shows/returntograce for more information.
ALSO READ: Elvis lookalikes create fandemonium at Collingwood Festival
