The jukebox musical Heartbreak Hotel, which features more than 40 songs by the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, will conclude Theatre by the Sea’s 2025 season. The show follows Elvis’ life from his impoverished Memphis upbringing to his 1968 NBC TV special, which is frequently referred to as his “comback show.”
The younger Elvis (Laird LaCoste) experiments with a variety of musical genres, including opera and soul. He is a white youngster who is hanging out in a Black music store when we first meet him. Elvis (Joe Hebel), who is 19 years old, has a sound that no one has ever heard before when he arrives at a recording studio to record a birthday message for his mother.
Elvis ultimately discovers something completely new during a jam session put together by Sun Records producer Sam Phillips (Kevin Patrick Martin). “A completely new sound!” screams Phillips. A revolution.
In summary, Elvis makes a breakthrough. When Phillips gets Elvis music on the radio, his entire world falls apart. The manager who buys out Elvis’ contract and gets him on television, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Kevin B. McGlynn), comes in.
Notably, Elvis Presley’s below-the-waist gyrations are unsafe for TV. A humorous montage of scenes featuring producers for shows hosted by Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen is shown. The producer of both concerts, Fred Sullivan Jr., informs Elvis that pornographic gestures are not permitted.
Elvis then says, “Shoot me from the waist up.”
Both younger individuals, who adore Elvis and his rock & roll music, and older people, who don’t, are influenced by it. In his testimony before a congressional committee, Kevin Patrick Martin’s character Frank Sinatra laments rock & roll and its singers, who he describes as a group of incoherent thugs.
Even Sinatra eventually gives in to the Elvis juggernaut, asking the King to sing a duet on Sinatra’s TV special. Elvis sings Sinatra’s Witchcraft, and Sinatra sings Elvis Love Me Tender.
But enough of the narrative. Now let’s discuss the performances.
First, there are a number of lively and enjoyable dances. The show’s director and choreographer, Nikki Snelson, created routines that looked and sounded like they were from the era. Excellent work.
Julia Fleckenstein deserves special recognition for her portrayal of Ann Margret, complete with Ms. Margret’s trademark dances. She is able to captivate the entire audience when she is making moves on Elvis in You’re the Boss.
The concert has numerous touching moments, particularly when Elvis teaches Priscilla (Emma Wilcox) to play the guitar in Are You Lonesome Tonight and when he sings “Can’t Help Falling in Love” to his newborn child.
McGlynn’s portrayal of the irascible Colonel Parker, who shaped the Elvis mystique, deserves praise. Bravo also to Sullivan and Melanie Souza, who played Vernon and Gladys, Presley’s parents. Gladys instills as much virtue as she can, while Vernon views his son as a meal ticket. This is particularly clear when Elvis is drafted and won’t allow anyone help him avoid it. He claims, “I’m just a regular guy, and regular guys get drafted.” Regards, Mom.
Of course, Elvis is the main character of Heartbreak Hotel. Both of them. As the younger Elvis, who makes appearances throughout the play in flashbacks and in dialogue with his adult self, LaCoste is flawless. The future of this 12-year-old is bright. Keep an eye out for him.
As Elvis, Hebel is just incredible. He takes the King past his 33rd birthday, having begun as a 19-year-old. Hebel’s portrayal of Elvis changes as the character gets older, especially in terms of his voice and mannerisms. There is no mimicry in Hebel’s performance. It’s more of an interpretation that stays faithful to the Elvis that practically everyone is familiar with.
You will adore Heartbreak Hotel if you are an Elvis lover. Not a huge fan of Elvis? No issue. The majority of the song will probably be familiar to you, and you will appreciate the performance.
The Heartbreak Hotel at Theatre by the Sea in Matunuck is open till September 14. Visit www.theatrebythesea.com or give the box office a call at 401-782-TKTS for information and tickets.
Great white sharks are going north. Here s what the numbers say
Maine’s Scarborough (AP) Great whitesharks are spending more time in the cold seas off the Atlantic coast of Canada and New England, according to new research.
This implies that fisherman, boaters, and beachgoers who visit the northern waters are learning to coexist with the predators made famous by the Jaws movie fifty years ago. Shark sightings have increased in areas like Maine, where they were formerly quite uncommon.
Beachgoers are normally quite safe from shark bites, according to scientists, who attribute the increased sightings of white sharks to the greater availability of the seals that the sharks eat.
Here is a numerical breakdown.
Since 2020, the Gulf of Maine’s great white shark activity has been tracked by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. According to the department, the data will be used to better understand the distribution of white sharks off the coast of the state.
According to the department, there were 19 distinct white shark sightings on 47 distinct dates in 2024.
Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, was killed by a great white shark off Bailey Island in 2020, the first known fatal shark attack in Maine.
Deathly shark bites are extremely uncommon in Maine and elsewhere, according to shark experts.
Approximately 2.5 times as many white sharks were spotted off Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2022 as in 2018, according to a May paper published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. According to the report, the number identified in the Cabot Strait, which divides Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, grew by almost four times further north.
The waters of Maine are home to at least seven different shark species, in addition to the great white shark. These include the common thresher, shortfin mako, blue shark, sand tiger shark, porbeagle, spiny dogfish, and basking shark.
Some of these sharks are harmless, and the majority present very little risk to people.
The Florida Museum of Natural History maintains a database of recorded shark attacks called the International Shark Attack File. Even though the great white shark has been known to attack people the most, the number of recorded assaults is still quite small.
According to the International Shark Attack File, there have been 351 recorded unprovoked shark attacks using white sharks, with 59 of those attacks being fatal.
Morning Notes: Community investment fund brings final tour stop to Middletown
Newport, good morning! The 236th day of 2025 is today, Sunday, August 24. The year has 129 days remaining.
You need to know
Rhode Island s first community investment fund will conclude its summercoffee shop tourWednesday at Custom House Coffee in Middletown, bringing its community outreach effort to Aquidneck Island for the final time.
The Rhode Island Community Investment Cooperative will hold its last Making the (G)rounds session from 8 to 9 a.m. at the cafe on Aquidneck Avenue. The organization has visited independent coffee shops across the state since June 4, offering residents a chance to learn about the cooperative s Local Return Diversified Community Investment Fund over morning coffee.
Jessica David, co-founder and president of Local Return, said the informal tour has provided an accessible way for Rhode Islanders to ask questions about community investment. The cooperative is raising $3.5 million to support locally-owned real estate revitalization projects and community-driven development initiatives throughout the state.
The fund represents Rhode Island s first community investment cooperative that accepts investments from all state residents while offering both financial returns and community benefits. Unlike traditional investment funds, the cooperative operates on a one-person, one-vote governance model regardless of investment amount, according to the organization s website.
The Wednesday session at Custom House Coffee, located at 796 Aquidneck Ave., marks the end of the summer tour that has visited cafes from Providence to Westerly. Middletown residents and other Aquidneck Island community members interested in learning more about community investment opportunities can attend the drop-in session or visitricommunityinvestment.comfor additional information.
The Latest from What sUpNewp
Sharapova, Bryan Brothers inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
Theatre by the Sea closes season with Elvis musical Heartbreak Hotel
Tyler Bernadyn: Newport County real estate A market in transition
Maria Sharapova and Bryan Brothers enter tennis hall, with surprise appearance by Serena Williams
Garrett Crochet fans 11 and Trevor Story homers as Red Sox beat Yankees for 8th straight time, 12-1
2025 Tennis Hall of Fame Induction: Maria Sharapova and Bryan Brothers talked about the sacrifices made for their careers
Trump halts work on New England offshore wind project that s nearly complete
Obituary: Margery Silvia
Obituary: Dennis Brown
Obituary: Darlene Faria
There was a problem. Please try again or refresh the page.
Yesterday s most-read
The following were yesterday s most-read What sUpNewp articles.
What s Up Today
Weather Forecast
-
Rip Current Statement in effect from August 24, 08:00 AM EDT until August 24, 08:00 PM EDT
- Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 8 to 14 mph.
- Tonight: A slight chance of showers after 1am. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Tomorrow: A chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 76. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Marine Forecast
- Today: S wind 7 to 12 kt. Partly sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
- Tonight: SSE wind 5 to 7 kt. A slight chance of showers after 1am. Patchy fog after 4am. Seas 1 ft or less.
- Tomorrow: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SSW 5 to 9 kt in the afternoon. A chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Seas 1 ft or less.
- The coastal water temperature is 64 degrees.
Sun, Moon & Tide
- Sunrise at 6:03 am. Sunset at 7:31 pm. 13 hours & 27 minutes of sun.
- High tide at 9:16 am & 9:35 pm. Low tide at 2:48 am & 2:46 pm.
- The lunar phase is a Waxing Crescent.
Things To Do
-
All Day:
Special Release Weekend: Milestone Wines
at Newport Vineyards
-
8 am:
Cars & Coffee Audrain Park Place
-
10 am:
Tiverton Farmers Market Summer
at Tiverton Town Farm Recreation Area
-
10 am:
Newport Black History Walking Tours
at Bowen s Wharf Pilot House
-
10 am:
Black Ships Festival
in Newport and Bristol
-
11 am:
Colonial Jewish Walking Tours
at Loeb Visitors Center
-
12 pm:
5th Annual Gnome Surf Clambake
in Little Compton
-
2 pm:
Cocktail Wars
at Newport Harbor Island Resort
-
3 pm:
NIMFest Newport
at King Park
Live Music & Entertainment
- Clarke Cooke House: Bobby Ferreira at 12:30 pm
- Fastnet Irish Pub: Irish Sessions at 6 pm
-
Johnny s Restaurant:
Mac Chrupcala Jazz Series
at 3 pm
- Landing: Nick Sproviero at 12:30 pm, Chelley Knight & The Dope Things at 4 pm, Catching Blue at 8 pm
-
Narragansett Cafe:
Professor Harp
at 4 pm
-
Newport Craft:
Jimmy & Matt
at 1 pm,
The Groove Merchants
at 4 pm
-
Newport Harbor Hotel:
Alger Mitchell
at 3 pm
-
Newport Vineyards:
Jimmy and Matt
at 1 pm
- O Brien s Pub: Greg Zercher at 3 pm
- Pour Judgement: Los Duderinos at 10 pm
- Speakeasy Bar & Grill: Live music at 9:30 pm
-
Sunset Cove:
Andre Arsenault
at 11 am,
Two Across
at 3 pm
-
The JPT Film & Event Center:
Cat Video Fest
at 2 pm,
It s Never Over Jeff Buckley
at 4:30 pm
Newport County Public Meetings
- No public meetings are scheduled.
Organizing an event?Submit your eventto What sUpNewp s Event Calendar.
Sharapova, Bryan Brothers inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
In a ceremony that brought tennis’ top players to Newport’s famous grounds, Maria Sharapova and doubles greats Bob and Mike Bryan were officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, entering tennis immortality.
With the three new members, the Hall of Fame now has 270 legends from 28 different countries. The ceremony capped a reimagined three-day celebration that included celebrity exhibitions and exclusive programming, held for the first time on the eve of the U.S. Open.
Sharapova, one of only 10 women to achieve a career Grand Slam, captured five major singles titles during her nearly two-decade career. The Russian star became the first woman from her country to reach No. 1 in the world rankings in 2005, adding Wimbledon (2004), U.S. Open (2006), Australian Open (2008) and two French Open titles (2012, 2014) to her resume.
In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life what a remarkable life, Sharapova said during her induction speech. I am so deeply grateful for it.
Tennis icon Serena Williams, who battled Sharapova throughout their careers, introduced the five-time major champion.
What started as a rivalry turned into an enormous amount of respect, Williams said. What grew from respect has turned to friendship. Maria didn t just win matches, she built a legacy that will last forever.
The Bryan Brothers dominated doubles tennis for more than two decades, capturing 16 major titles and holding the record for most weeks atop the ATP doubles rankings at 438. The twins finished as the year-end No. 1 team a record 10 times and won 119 tour titles together the most successful doubles partnership in ATP history.
They remain the only doubles team to complete the Double Career Grand Slam and earned Davis Cup gold in 2007 along with Olympic medals in Beijing (bronze, 2008) and London (gold, 2012).
In this sport, nobody makes it alone, Mike Bryan said. Behind every successful player is a village, and we re very blessed to have an extraordinary one.
Bob Bryan credited their partnership for their sustained excellence.
For most of my career, I had the No. 1 player in the world living across the hall, he said. We kept the bar high for a long time. It wasn t always easy, but we had each other.
The induction celebration also featured a Hall of Fame Celebrity Pro Classic, live podcast recordings with Andy Roddick and Patrick McEnroe, and exclusive sessions with Stan Smith and Gigi Fernandez.
The ceremony s timing, scheduled the night before the U.S. Open begins, marks a new tradition for the Hall of Fame s annual induction weekend.
Photo Gallery
All photos by Louis Walker III/What sUpNewp
More Coverage
Tennis Hall of Fame induction celebration continues with Celebrity Pro Classic
Tennis Hall of Fame begins 2025 induction celebration
Maria Sharapova and Bryan Brothers enter tennis hall, with surprise appearance by Serena Williams
2025 Tennis Hall of Fame Induction: Maria Sharapova and Bryan Brothers talked about the sacrifices made for their careers
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
