A Never-Say-Die ‘Elvis’ New Musical Tribute

Rock superstars never fade away, they just keep being reborn in movies and stage productions.

Over the last dozen years, we’ve seen a constant parade of motion picture and TV biographies about such rock stars as John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly and Richie Valens.

Plus, there are movies under way or under discussion about such deceased singers as Eddie Cochran, Bobby Fuller, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison.

Still, the most dramatic example of theatrical life after death in pop continues to be Elvis Presley.

The records keep coming: RCA has just released an album taken from the dress rehearsal for Presley’s celebrated 1973 “Aloha From Hawaii” concert. (The original album from that concert spent a year on the national pop charts.)

There have also been countless Presley books (all purporting to finally set the record straight), TV movies (invariably timed to coincide with a key anniversary) and home videos.

Yet perhaps the most fascinating evidence of the beat going on after death will occur July 1 in Las Vegas.

That’s when Elvis’ name goes up once more on the marquee of the 1,600-seat Hilton showroom, where Presley played exclusively in Las Vegas between 1969 and 1977--more than 700 performances, according to Tom Willer, entertainment director at the Hilton.

“Elvis--An American Musical,” which will be at the Las Vegas Hilton through Aug. 28, is an ambitious multimedia presentation, combining live performance and video/film sequences that celebrate Presley and pop culture over the last 30 years.

The Hilton engagement will be the official “world premiere” of the $3-million production, but the show begins a national tour on Tuesday at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Conn. Before Las Vegas, there also will be stops in Cleveland and Houston. “Elvis” will then tour the United States. There is no Los Angeles engagement planned this year.

“Elvis and the Hilton always had a close, unique relationship and we are proud to celebrate that memory with this show,” Willer said.

Jules Fisher, a producer of the new production, and Robert Rabinowitz, who wrote the show, were also involved with “Beatlemania” in the ‘70s, but both said “Elvis” is a far more elaborate project. The show, which is authorized by the Presley estate, is directed and choreographed Pat Birch, who did the choreography on both the Broadway and motion-picture versions of “Grease.”

During rehearsals for “Elvis” here recently, Fisher said there will be more than three hours of film compressed into the show--as opposed to only about 10 minutes of film in “Beatlemania.” The film, with competing images on different screens, will serve as backdrops for three singers, representing different periods in Presley’s life, perform almost four dozen songs identified with the late rock star.

To Fisher, an acclaimed lighting designer whose Broadway credits include “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Dancin’,” the new show is part of a longstanding vision of presenting rock music in a theatrical context.

“In the ‘60s, I saw all the light shows and most of them didn’t interest me because I thought they were just visual noise to go with the beat of the music,” said Fisher, who has also worked with such rock acts as David Bowie and KISS. “I felt the lighting should deal more with the content of the music.”

“I never wanted to illustrate the lyrics. The power comes in when the (images) blend with the music so that it becomes sort of an abstract painting. That’s what we’re trying to do in this show. The emphasis is on Elvis and his music, but we are also trying to put that in the framework of the times, to show how he related to the culture and why he was such a major influence.”

In a separate interview, Rabinowitz acknowledged he was no “Presley scholar,” but was intrigued by the influence and appeal of the young man from Memphis who helped revolutionize pop music and remains the primary symbol of rock ‘n’ roll around the world.

“We wanted to do more than simply (offer) Elvis’ music, so I had to decide what story to tell and . . . in thinking about it, I saw this kind of metaphor between Elvis and America. . . . The innocence and corruption of the last 30 years,” he said during a rehearsal break.

Rabinowitz sees “Elvis,” in part, as an exploration of the sociological forces that helped fuel Presley’s unprecedented popularity.

“There’s no question in my mind that the Beatles had a bigger range of music . . . because they were composer-singers,” he said. “Elvis, not being a composer, was much more uneven in the choice of material. His music consisted of a much narrower range, which means his popularity was tied more to him as a performer.

“But part of that popularity is unexplainable. It doesn’t all rely on music or on the voice or on the performance. It somehow is related to the times, somewhat to the perception of reality that people had. I mean he wouldn’t be very shocking if he appeared today because Mick Jagger, the Sex Pistols--people like that--did wilder things on the stage than Elvis ever did.

“Yet he caused a much bigger storm than they did. I mean he made love to a toy dog while singing (on stage at some of his early shows) and caused a riot.”

LIVE ACTION IN LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson will be at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Nov. 13-15. Tickets go on sale next Saturday. . . . Run-D.M.C. will be at the Greek Theatre on June 27 with D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Public Enemy. Tickets go on sale Sunday. . . . Tickets also go on sale Sunday for Willie Nelson’s June 30 appearance at the Pacific Amphitheatre, Crosby, Stills & Nash’s concert Sept. 10 at the same facility and Joe Cocker’s Aug. 1 date at the Universal Amphitheatre. . . . Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine have added a third night (Aug. 11) to their Greek Theatre engagement. . . . Earth, Wind & Fire headlines the Forum on July 2, while the Ramones return to the Hollywood Palladium on July 8. . . . The Pixies will be at Bogart’s in Long Beach on June 23.