INTERVIEW: ‘Elvis Impersonators’ are ready to attack off-Broadway
Zaniness has arrived at off-Broadway’s Lion Theatre in the form of Attack of the Elvis Impersonators, an irreverent new musical from Lory Lazarus.
In the show, Eric Sciotto plays Drac Frenzie, a heavy metal icon who gets “all shook up” and becomes an Elvis impersonator. His mission turns galactic when he’s tasked with saving the world, all the while keeping his finger pointed to the sky and his sideburns just so.
Veteran director, Don Stephenson, directs the comedy, and Melissa Zaremba choreographs.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Lazarus about the new show and the multi-year journey it has taken to New York City. Lazarus, who wrote Attack’s book, music and lyrics, is perhaps best remembered as the songwriter behind several tunes on Barney the Dinosaur (yep, “Friends Are Forever” is his song). He was also a staff writer for Cartoon Network’s Courage, The Cowardly Dog.
Here’s what he had to say:
On the musical’s origins …
“First of all, in the 1980s, I was the leader of a comedy rock ‘n’ roll band, mock ‘n’ roll actually called Lacoo, and I had recently seen a cabaret act. And the cabaret act was called the Texas Chainsaw Manicure, and part of the Texas Chainsaw Manicure, there was a skit about an Elvis impersonator. And I thought, this is pretty funny. I love Elvis impersonators. I forgot totally about them, so I wrote a song for my band to do called ‘Elvis Impersonator’ where the singer is tired of doing heavy metal and rock ‘n’ roll. And he decides to become an Elvis impersonator.
“Well, my band did not want to do the song, so I shelved it and put it in a file cabinet for years. But then I had this idea: What would happen if there were thousands, millions of Elvis impersonators in the world? It would just be so stupid and so funny, and so that was the original premise. And then when I started to write that outline out, I dredged out my old song, ‘Elvis Impersonator,’ and that was the first one that went into the show.”
On how he connected with Don Stephenson on the project …
“I was looking for a new director because the director who directed the reading of Attack of the Elvis Impersonators last year was not available this year to carry on, so I needed a director. And I was going, who is there? And I interviewed a couple of people, and I thought they were nice and great but didn’t have that sense of comedy that I was looking for. … After I met Don, I went this guy gets it. This guy understands comedy. We just really connected, and it was also wonderful that Don is from Tennessee. And he grew up in Tennessee, so he’s been an Elvis fan all his life. So I was just totally blessed to find Don. He is an absolutely incredible director. I am just totally blessed to have him on board.”
On his feelings when finally seeing the show staged in New York …
“I had this weight on my heart for like 20 years trying to get Attack of the Elvis Impersonators produced, and it’s gone through so many readings and rewrites. I was always going up against brick walls. … At the final dress rehearsal, I got to see the whole thing sewn together, and I was just floored at how wonderful it was and how Don took my words and shaped the characters into something magnificent. And Melissa Zaremba’s choreography is just stunning.”
On writing for children versus writing for adults …
“Yes, it’s a different part of my brain. The kids’ music stuff, Barney the Dinosaur and the Children’s Theatre Company, that is a whole other piece of territory of my gray matter. What I’ve [been] mostly involved in and have loved the most is twisted, funny, farcical, goofy, sometimes sophomoric comedy, and I grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons and the Three Stooges. And then I got turned on to the Marx Brothers and then Monty Python, and I just resonated so much my whole life with bizarre comedy. And that’s always been my greatest influence.”
On the revisions the show has gone through …
“The very first draft to where it is now, it has been 12 drafts later, and now through the course of rehearsals for this production, we now have a 13th draft, which I had to organize. Yes, it’s gone through quite a few changes. As I’ve seen now with actual actors and choreography and all that, certain things that I thought were going to work quite well still needed some tweaking, so it’s actually been really beneficial for the show. Don and Melissa have found all sorts of things that needed improvement, and I went along with like 95 percent of them. And ultimately the show is much better for it.”
On what he hopes the audience takes away …
“First and foremost, that they left the show thoroughly entertained and had a good time because that has always been my mission on this earth, in this incarnation. I think God put me here to make people happy, and I try to do that in my personal life and through my creative projects.
“The second thing that I would like audiences to leave the theater taking away is that they see the deeper levels of the show, that it’s about unity, and peace and through all of us becoming one human family we can attain world peace. Now that’s an old, old message, but that’s part of the show.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Attack of the Elvis Impersonators is currently playing the Lion Theatre at Theatre Row in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
