Love Me Tender at the Edinburgh Playhouse Review
Love Me Tender
Edinburgh Playhouse
21-25 July 2015
Reviewed by Debbie Douglas
Edinburgh Playhouse is easily accessible from Waverly Train station, by bus and of course by the infamous trams. There is off street parking just minutes away or a pay by the hour car park just practically next door. The Playhouse is a glorious setting for any trip to the theatre and is well served by pubs and restaurants.
Love Me Tender is based on the book by Joe Dipietro and is inspired and features the songs of Elvis Presley. I am a massive Elvis fan so was really looking forward to my theatre outing. The show stars Mica Paris and Shaun Williamson with Ben Lewis and Sian Reeves. It is a very strong cast and the singing was very good. The show does not let anyone pretend to be Elvis – each character has their own take on the songs and individual twists. There are over 20 songs including “Love Me Tender” (obviously) and my favourites “A Little Less Conversation” and “Burning Love”. There were even a couple of songs in there that I hadn’t heard. I will be getting my Elvis CD’s out to rectify that straight away!
I don’t want to give too much of the plot away but if you think of Footloose meets Grease on the Love Boat then you are in the zone. It was a really feel good show and I came out humming burning love all the way home on the bus together with a dozen other happy theatre goers. Just thinking about it today makes me smile.
Mica Paris is excellent as Sylvia and Shaun Williamson is very endearing as Jim. Both play their parts brilliantly. Laura Tebbutt is very good as Natalie and Ben Lewis is smouldering and sexy as Chad. He can certainly work those hips! One of my favourite moments was him teaching Jim how to dance. There were lots of laugh out loud moments and the crowd were really enjoying themselves. Sian Reeves was superb as Mayor Matilda Hyde who is hiding a secret whilst trying to keep the standards of her town high.
The set is well thought out and the cast were slick at moving things around when required. It all worked seamlessly. The cast holding some props was a clever touch and I particularly like the saloon doors.
This is a terrific show and a must for any Elvis fan but even if you are not an Elvis fan you will still enjoy it. Just sit back, relax, put on your blue suede shoes and be transported for a couple of hours to a bygone era with some fabulous songs.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £14.90 to £43.90 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Love Me Tender is at the Edinburgh Playhouse until 25 July 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3014.
Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3AA | 0844 871 3014
