Las Vegas, Nev. -June 20, 2012 – On Stage Touring, LLC, in association with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., announced today that it will kick off their 2012/2013 touring season of ELVIS LIVES “THE ULTIMATE ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST EVENT”   in Wilmington, DE on October 2, 2012. Due to incredible demand from audiences coast to coast, this season’s tour will travel to sixty cities, presenting 100 performances, more than triple the number of last season’s tour.

ELVIS LIVES, which keeps on capturing the imaginations and interests of fans of all types including Broadway, concert and Elvis aficionados, is an unforgettable multi-media and live musical journey across Elvis’ life featuring finalists from Elvis Presley Enterprises’ annual worldwide Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, each representing Elvis during different stages in his career. The Elvis tribute artists will be joined by a live band, back-up singers and dancers, along with an Ann-Margret tribute artist, as well as iconic imagery made available from the Graceland archives; which includes a never-before-seen exhibit of life-size images of Elvis’ stage-wear that will be on display in the lobby of each theater hosting a performance.

“We are very pleased that ELVIS LIVES continues to delight audiences all over the nation and that even more Elvis fans will be given the opportunity to see these talented entertainers in these expanded markets. We hope to see finalists from the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest starring in ELVIS LIVES for years to come,” said Scott Williams, Vice President of Marketing for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

“The partnership between On Stage Touring and Elvis Presley Enterprises provides the only authentic touring showcase of Elvis tribute artists for fans who want to experience the music and live performance charisma of one of the most popular recording artists in history,” said Brian Brigner, Chief Operating Officer of On Stage. “Our thriving production showcases each performer portraying Elvis in one of four eras: the 1950s, 1960s, his movie career and his concert years, so it is the complete musical package.”

The kick-off in Wilmington, DE, on October 2, 2012, will be part of an eight show performance week in celebration of the 100th Season Anniversary of the DuPont Theatre. The nationwide tour is scheduled to begin in January 2013 with performances in over 60 markets. On Stage has retained Columbia Artists Theatricals to further develop and expand the markets for the tour.

Click here to see performance dates and markets for the 2013 tour of ELVIS LIVES.

For links to purchase tickets directly from individual theaters, please visit http://www.elvislivestour.com or contact your local authorized box office or official ticketing agency.  Elvis Lives fans are also invited to enter the “Elvis Lives” sweepstakes for a chance to win a seven-day cruise for two in an oceanview stateroom on board Norwegian Epic. For more information, visit http://www.elvislivestour.com.

Contact info:  Booking@broadwaycat.com and 917.206.4600. For more information visit:  www.columbiaartiststheatricals.com

By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter

The “King” visited the Rosemont Theater on Saturday, Feb. 4. Or more accurately, four male performers were on the local stage paying homage to Elvis Presley through the four periods of his fabulous career.

The sold out, mesmerized crowd of 3,500 reacted to the show as if the four performers were actually the King himself.

As the curtain opened to unveil a small three-piece band led by actor Victor Trevino who was dressed in black with a pink jacket and a popped color, the audience was taken back to the spot where Elvis got his big break in the 1950s, Sun Records in Memphis, TN. The first song that was performed was “That’s All Right,” an early Elvis favorite. From then on there was no stopping Elvis—all four of them—nor the excited audience that was on its feet for most of the time.

Trevino with expert backing from band members playing a hollow body electric guitar, stand up bass and drums, took full command of the stage and the crowd with a rousing rendition of “Heart Break Hotel.”

As the show progressed and the crowd of toe-tappers really got into the high-energy environment, Elvis’ career was taken through the 50s, 60s and into the 1970s. Bill Cherry, clad in Elvis’ trademark 1970s attire consisting of a white jump suit with cape, got the crowd jumping to its feet with a rousing medley of “America the Beautiful” and “Glory, Glory Halleluiah”—all against a landscape of huge video displays, pomp and a highly-charged entourage of talented dancers and singers.

“Elvis Lives” covered four eras of the King’s career: the 1950s portrayed by Trevino, the “Movie Era” Elvis of the early 1960s portrayed by Kevin Mills, the 1968 Comeback era
Elvis, Ben Klein, clad in the black leather of the famous television special, and the 1970s concert years of an Elvis clad in white as portrayed by Cherry.

What separated the men portraying Elvis on the Rosemont Theatre stage with other impersonators was their uncanny ability to portray the man from Tupelo, MS, in a no nonsense, genuine manner. This was especially true for Trevino who immersed himself into the role of Elvis leaving no one with the feeling that an actor was standing before them.

“Elvis Lives” not only paid homage to all the big, familiar Presley hits but many lesser-known tunes, even addressing the King’s musical foundation in Gospel and his time in the U.S. Army.

Joining Mills in the 1960s renditions was Lori Russo as a flirtatious Ann Margaret singing duets like “My Baby Loves Me.” She was so good that more than once she stole the stage.

In the 1968 Comeback era and during final portions of the show as many as 40 women rushed the stage to get closer to Elvis—the same as what happened some 40 years ago. Ben Klein as 1968 Elvis and Cherry clad all in 1970s white, handed out scarves and threw kisses to the women. One thrilled 70-year-old fan had Happy Birthday sung to her by the King, another presented Elvis a scarf emblazoned with his image, and a third female, wearing a beehive hairdo, long gown and elbow length gloves caught the attention of security when she climbed on a riser near the stage to wave at the King.

Elvis Lives was a remarkable show of spine-tingling music, hip-jiggling fun and a trip down memory lane that few in the audience will ever forget.

By Bruce R. Miller bmiller@siouxcityjournal.com

A wise man would have to say Elvis Presley was one of the best entertainers in the business.

And “Elvis Lives”? It’s definitive proof that the wise man was right. Covering four periods in the singer’s life, the tribute show (which played the Orpheum Theatre on Monday night) kindled much of the electricity, excitement and energy that surrounded the King.

Using four performers to represent specific periods, the show checked off a laundry list of hits, letting each “Elvis” show what made him popular in three decades.

Victor Trevino Jr., the young Elvis, had the most energy, bouncing around with abandon, singing those rock songs that got him in trouble with authorities. While Trevino didn’t look as much like Presley as the others, he had the singing and dancing ability to suggest Elvis wasn’t just another performer. He got the moves just right and did that crouch in a way that proved it wasn’t just an affectation.

Kevin Mills — as the movie-era Elvis — had the toughest job of the four. Those film songs were largely dreadful, but with Lori Russo (as a pretty spot-on Ann-Margret), he got enough out of Vegas to make it seem “viva” indeed.

Ben Klein as the “comeback” Elvis — the leather Elvis, to be more specific — was the most playful, joking with the audience and ad libbing about the virtues of plastic surgery. He complained about the leather, too, but did a nice job with a pseudo-acoustic set.

Bill Cherry, the 2009 Ultimate Elvis winner, closed the show as the “concert” Elvis, and it was easy to see why he has been hailed as one of the best tribute artists in the business. Cherry had the moves, the look and the voice to conjure plenty of memories. His salute to veterans was so strong it’s easy to see why Elvis still brings tears today.

The four segments were introduced by film clips — a great plus — and abetted by a talented orchestra and sextet of backup singers and dancers.

The show moved like a hunka-hunka burning love, offering ample evidence of Presley’s talents.

Oddly, a Cirque du Soleil tribute show (called “Viva Elvis,” currently running in Las Vegas) doesn’t have half the power of this. The reason? It lacks an Elvis impersonator. With four, “Elvis Lives” covers all the bases and then some.

Light-years better than last year’s “The Rat Pack is Back,” “Elvis Lives” makes you want to shout, throw your hands up and put on your blue suede shoes again. And again. And again.