Elvis To The Max www.elvistothemax.com.au
The Facts:
Well over a quarter of a century has passed since the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley, died. Undisputedly there is and only ever will be one King, but the legend lives on and committed to keeping the spirit alive, is Max Pellicano. Elvis was not much of an overseas traveller, but Elvis’ image in the form of Max Pellicano has already crossed the globe a dozen times. His uncanny resemblance and equally chilling performance have mesmerized tens of thousands. Is it any wonder some people still refuse to believe that Presley is dead?
The Tour:
“The Elvis to the Max” show has successfully toured Australia for over a decade, always to sell-out crowds. In actual fact, Max Pellicano first entered our shores in 1987. The forthcoming tour will feature an entirely different concept from previous tours. For the first time, Max will perform with an orchestral string section. In fact, with a total of up to almost 50 musicians on stage, this will make for an entirely new and exciting sound.
Max will perform over 120 shows in Australia and New Zealand throughout his 8-month tour!
The Show:
Although Max has portrayed Elvis’ early years and also the 1968 “Comeback Special” on previous tours, this “Aloha From Down-Under” 2004 show will faithfully recreate Elvis’ (then a world first) 1973 TV special “Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite.” Almost all of this concert will be performed, in addition to songs from Elvis’s 1972 “Madison Square Garden” and 1977 “Elvis In Concert” albums. Elvis’ latest smash hit (Stop, Look and Listen) will also be a feature of the tour. Max goes beyond mere impersonation. His recreation of the Kings looks, moves, vocal style, impressions and humor is so accurate, its awe inspiring. You need to sound like him and Max has worked hard at that. Not only is the voice important, it’s also knowing how to become the man himself on stage. The attitude shy, but confident. Max mimics, in a rich Mississippi drawl that is typically Elvis. There are lots of Elvis impersonators around, but Max is considered as the best. Critics have described him as ‘Elvis ‘resurrected” and ‘reincarnated’ People just “Can’t help falling in love” with Elvis to the Max.
The costumes worn by Max are exact replicas made by Elvis’ tailor Bill Bellow. The shimmering encrusted “White Eagle” costume is a $10,000 recreation, identical the one worn by Elvis in 1972.
The Artist:
Born in Monte Carlo, of French and Italian parents, Max Pellicano spent most of his childhood in New York before moving to San Francisco at the age of 14. Today, Max is based in Detroit.
He has been a professional actor and entertainer since 1974 when he graduated from the California State University with a degree in Dramatic Arts.
Max first brought Elvis (as an actor) to life on stage in a production of Bye Bye Birdie. “I was doing musicals and theatre and had to study Jailhouse Rock for my role as the Elvis-type character, Conrad Birdie. I studied the way he walked, the way he talked and the way he moved for months. I guess you could say I got into impersonating Elvis in a kind of round-about way” he said.
His performance led to an Elvis tribute show and the rest is history. “I learnt long ago that the fans don’t want the legend to die. They want to keep the memory going”. Max said. He still spends many hours in front of the television listening to records. “I watch a lot of old live concerts and it’s actually kind of easy to study Elvis because I really enjoy watching his shows” says Max. Max stresses that he is an actor recreating a character and it is an illusion. Some see it differently though – one of Max’s strangest requests was when a couple in Los Angeles asked him to bless their child.
According to “I am Elvis” there are more than 6,000 professional Elvis impersonators in the world and countless amateurs.
“It’s hard to copy the original, but what we try and do is recreate the Elvis concert and give people a chance to see what it might have been like to see Elvis perform live”.
