YARRABILBA’S Village Green Theatre Group will host the Australian debut of the comedy play Elvis Has Left the Building.
Playing the role of Elvis’ manager, the Colonel, is Mark Reynolds who has performed and director shows in the Village Green Theatre Group since 2019.
The play, written by mother and son team, Virginia Cate and Duke Ernsberger from the United States, is loosely based on a true story.
“It’s a comedy play based very loosely on a time where Elvis actually did go missing for three days. He went to meet President Nixon to ask for a federal narcotics badge so that he could carry drugs and guns around with him without fear of being arrested,” Mr Reynolds said.
Four other cast members join Mr Reynolds on stage, including Trudy, Elvis’ secretary, Roscoe and Candy, two of Elvis’ other employees and Jill a journalist pining for a story on Elvis.
My Reynolds, as the Colonel, is on stage for virtually the whole show and has “434 line to remember.”
“The Colonel is kind of always looking out for himself, so he had been at a casino and gamble an ‘I owe you’ that was to have Elvis perform in a mob boss’s casino the following night.
“So the Colonel is desperately trying to find Elvis to perform in the casino to avoid having his legs broken by the mob boss.”
Cast members have been rehearsing for months, with a few weeks still to go. Four performances are scheduled on the evenings of 4, 5, 11 and 12 July.
“We typically rehearse for three months for a show,” Mr Reynolds said.
“All of the rehearsals are going really well and everyone’s pretty much got their lines down.
“It’s now just building it up and polishing it so when people come to see the show it’s a good quality show.”
Play makes Australian debut in Yarrabilba
