The
Memphis Lullaby A Play Script
Linda
Ann McConnell
2004,
Pressley Publications, Glasgow, Scotland, ISBN: 0-9548254-0-3
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The
Memphis Lullaby is a rarity in the Elvis world - a
play in 5 acts about the King of Rock 'n' Roll. What
makes The Memphis Lullaby even more unusual is that
the play is performed in the first person, with Elvis
looking back at his incredible life story six days
before his untimely death on 16 August 1977.
Acts
1 and 2 are Elvis telling his life story. Act 3 is
presented as a voiceover while the final two acts
(particularly impressive) are presented as "films"
with visual and audio cues.
Linda
Ann McConnell is to be congratulated on writing a
touching script which vividly brings to life the Elvis
story, and importantly does so from Elvis' perspective,
not that of a third party.
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As
promotion for the play says: "The Memphis Lullaby play
paints an intimate portrait of the King in his own words
- transcribed from recordings of radio interviews, press
conferences, concerts, his handwritten notes and remembered
conversations with his friend Larry Geller."
And
this is what struck me throughout the narrative, just how
well the author manages to capture the essence of who Elvis
was, including his vocal mannerisms:
"Maybe
because I was an only child, my mama never let me go out
of her sight."
On
Hollywood:
"When
I finished a movie I went straight back to Memphis, at least
it's real."
On
Lisa Marie:
"I
didn't believe that I had made part of this beautiful child
(smiles affectionately) Oh man, she's too much."
The
narration reminded me of the narration in the film This
Is Elvis.
It
is obvious just how much thought and planning Linda Ann
McConnell put in to her work. The robust narrative, the
important final acts that occur shortly after Elvis' death
and the evocative imagery - these all function synergistically
to fully engage the reader/viewer.
Elvis'
drug taking is, I suspect, deliberately underexposed in
The Memphis Lullaby. In so doing it appropriately allows
other parts of the legend to come into focus: Elvis' spirituality,
his likes and dislikes, the halcyon 50's, the movie years,
Las Vegas, and in August 1977, the infamous "Bodyguard book".
While
The Memphis Lullaby is not the first time Elvis' life story
has been told in the first person, play format - for instance
there was Alan Bleasdale's much darker, Are You Lonesome
Tonight? - Linda Ann McConnell offers a different point
of entry into and perspective on the psyche of Elvis Araon
Presley. It is one which will please many fans.
The
script title also forms the title of a heartfelt poem printed
in the book which is also complemented by several pleasant
black & white photos of Elvis and a comprehensive bibliography.
Verdict:
The Memphis Lullaby is a fresh and powerful release that
offers an intimate look at the Elvis story from 'a different
point of view'.
Footnote:
The Memphis Lullaby was first performed as a rehearsal reading
at the Arches Theatre in Glasgow on 8 January 2004. The
role was portrayed by Thomas McGarvey.
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