CHICAGO — Patrick Tierney sees a chance to teach audience members about love and how it knows no boundaries through his role in upcoming musical "All Shook Up."
"All Shook Up" is "lighthearted, essentially a comedy," with four or five storylines about love, Tierney said. The musical features hits from Elvis Presley.
Tierney, a West Lawn native who now lives in Ravenswood, plays Dean Hyde, a young man who lives under the thumb of his mom in the Midwest during the '50s.
Dean finds love with Lorraine, but his mother plans to send him away to military school. Dean and Lorraine also face controversy since they are an interracial couple.
But love is "not about the color of your skin; it's about the person you are," Tierney said. "Some people can learn some things from this silly 1950s musical."
Tierney has performed at the Theatre at the Center in Munster, Ind., before and said they called and asked him to audition for the role of Dean. He said most people play Dean as a more serious character, but he plans to show Dean's "funny, kind of quirky side" in the role.
At the same time, the audience will be able to follow the love stories in the musical and, through Dean's and Lorraine's romance, see how "silly" it is the United States still faces racial tension, Tierney said.
"All Shook Up" runs Thursdays to Sundays July 16 to Aug. 16, with a special opening night event at 7 p.m. July 19 at the Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Rd. in Munster.
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