STAGE REVIEW: This is Elvis - at the Festival Theatre, Malvern, Tuesday, April 3, to Saturday, April 7, 2018.

NOT only did he look alike, move like and sound alike - he also had all those little Presley mannerisms off to a tee.

Yes, without doubt, Elvis had entered the building!

Steve Michaels is the out and out star of this new musical with his wonderful take on the man who was, and still is to his legions of fans, the King of Rock and Roll.

Michaels is an international award-winning tribute artist and actor and it's not difficult to see why.

He really ensures the memories of a great entertainer lives on.

There's considerable stage charisma to go with his authentic sound and looks of Presley in his pomp.

This is Elvis is not a biopic - the story of his life and his rise to fame and fortune, or his sad decline in health, but a look back at the pivotal, that magic moment back in 1958, when he returned to live singing performances after some years away from the scene due to army life and a film career.

That return was for a NBC studio appearance which led to more big hits and a big date in Las Vegas. Elvis was back in the big league!

This Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield production is magnificently memorable for all the right reasons. Pulsating music capable of pinning Presley patrons to the back of their seats.

There are some cracking rock numbers but personally it's Elvis's slower songs, the ballads, which please the most. Numbers such as Love Me Tender and In The Ghetto.

There's great backing from talented musicians in the nine-piece band, featuring Mark Pearce (Charlie Hodge) and Reuven Gershon (Joe Esposito) who are Elvis' long-standing friends. And we also have a top notch all-female group provided by Misha Malcolm, Katrina May and Chevone Stewart as the truly Sweet Inspiration.

Altogether an inspirational evening of great exuberance and entertainment.

More would have been nice but after more than two hours of generally frenzied activity Elvis had left the building for well-earned rest.

*** APOLOGIES: This review has been delayed from going on site earlier due to a major problem with a computer installation. AJW