ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT?

(Phoenix Theatre, London, England) Someone should produce this over here or at least make a film of it, as this London (by way of Liverpool) stage production was the most powerful artistic statement on the life of Elvis Presley I�ve seen thus far. Set on the night of Elvis�s death, it intersperses flashbacks from his glory days and distant past with his horrifying present, following a basic rock �n� roll party line (watching �Elvis�—Martin Shaw is extraordinary in the role— mutter �You goddamn bastard� behind the Colonel�s back was alone worth price of admission). Not totally accurate historically, but nearly perfect in terms of spirit and mood, capturing the heroes along with the villains, the chill factor along with the humor, the greatness along with the incredible tragedy of it all. There wasn�t a dry eye in the audience by the show�s conclusion, and some of these people were theatregoers as opposed to Elvis fans. Alan Bleasdale�s script (a work of love) is available from Faber & Faber publishing in London. B.H.