A Vision of Elvis
Embassy Theatre
Skegness
Friday 15 July 2022
Rob Kingsley's tribute show A Vision of Elvis has been successfully touring for many years and has attracted awards and accolades from the very beginning. Kingsley himself admits to being a huge fan above all, and as he says he doesn't try to "be" Elvis, but he seeks to pay tribute through his recreation of Elvis's concert performances. And he does so exceptionally well. It is no mean feat putting together a full show with band and backing singers. He has been voted the No1 Elvis Presley Tribute Artist & Best Overall Male Artist at the National Music Tribute Awards, as well as the Grand European Champion at Europe's Largest Elvis Competition and Best Vegas Elvis at Europe's Largest Competition. The show is winner of The National Tribute Music Awards "Official Elvis Show". It has much to live up with awards of that ilk, but Kingsley delivers his show with charm and charisma.
The show opens with Elvis in 1960 performing in tuxedo on the "Welcome Home Elvis" Timex Show, which originally starred Frank Sinatra and was set up to welcome Elvis back to the mainstream after serving in Germany in the US Army. The songs are catchy, bouncy and full of fun but showed Elvis to be a mainstream entertainer after having scared the establishment with his riotous rock 'n' roll. Kingsley's song choices for this section included Don't Be Cruel and Stuck on You. Originally, songs such as Its Now or Never were seen as groundbreaking as Elvis demonstrated a tremendous, almost operatic range and Rob Kingsley manages to deliver a vocal equal to the King.
Departing the stage, the multi-media presentation reminds the audience of Elvis' service overseas and his return to his home shores ready to re-launch his career through a series of musical movies that never quite managed to live up to the potential he showed in his pre-army days. Nevertheless, his first movie showed some promise but the formula was already being developed. GI Blues was a reminder that Elvis was a wholesome American boy, who had served his country when the call came and this fictional story presented a version of his service that many curiously equate with reality. Returning to the stage in American Army uniform, Kingsley took us through the movie years of the early '60s. We heard A Pocketful of Rainbows, Wooden Heart and, of course, GI Blues itself.
There was a lovely moment when Kingsley called up two of his youngest fans to thank them for their support and the girls, resplendent in their A Vision of Elvis t-shirts joined him where he gave each a gift of an Elvis-inspired music box and sang with them as the girls giggled with glee and delight. It is Kingsley's interaction with fans that mark him out. He is exceptionally personable and has a lovely relationship with his fans, many of whom he knows by name and have followed him from the outset.
Following the movie years' segment, the backing band held court as Kingsley went to change costume. His backing singers following the notion of Presley's own Sweet Inspirations are all accomplished singers in their own right and to hear them delivering belting gospel as well as the tight harmonies required by Elvis's repertoire.
Their contribution led into a recreation of the 1968 Comeback Special with Kingsley resplendent in a leather-look cat suit with his cherry red semi-acoustic guitar - a terrific recreation of the '68 look and the attention detail is remarkable.
Here, we heard Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes and Jailhouse Rock, along with some of the more serious ballads Elvis later became known for, including Walter Earl Brown's Martin Luther King Jr-inspired classic, If I Can Dream which was pitch perfect in performance tonight.
This set brought the first act to a close and after the interval, we were treated to Elvis' iconic Vegas years. Clad in the familiar white jumpsuit, Rob Kingsley looked every inch the King, as he strutted confidently across the stage delivering numbers such as Proud Mary, CC Rider, American Trilogy and my favourite In The Ghetto.
He gave away scarf after scarf to his adoring fans who rushed to the foot of the stage to claim a a kiss and a memento wherever possible. The allure of Elvis is undiminished despite his untimely death in 1977. It is performers like Kingsley who keep that legacy alive by faithfully recreating the look, sound and feel of those Vegas shows. It is his audiences excitement that remind us of how loved Elvis remains to this day.
As he whipped up the level of anticipation through songs like Burning Love and Suspicious Minds, I mused on what a tragic loss to the world of entertainment was suffered on August 16th 1977 when, at 42 years if age, Elvis left the building permanently.
It is widely acknowledged that Elvis was not in a good condition and Colonel Tom Parker had well and truly milked his cash cow to the point of callous exploitation, but he was a performer unlike any other. His passing left a chasm that has never been filled by anyone else.
I hope to see Rob Kingsley when he returns for his ten-year anniversary show next year. I recommend A Vision of Elvis to any fan keen to remember the legacy of the King. This is a brilliant show and will continue to entertain all and sundry as the train keeps rolling.
Andy Evans 16 July 2022
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