William Draper

William Draper portrays The King, Elvis Pressley, in Elvis: A Musical Revolution at Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, a role he played for Prather Entertainment at its Dutch Apple venue in Pennsylvania. Memphis born and raised, William was immersed in the music of Elvis Pressley compliments of his grandparents, who played Elvis’ albums on a giant record player all the time.

“When I found out I got the role, my whole family was intrigued because Elvis was basically a household name living in Memphis,” Draper told Andrea Stephenson in a May 27, 2023 Broadway World Central Pennsylvania interview. “My family started telling me stories about how they went to his concerts, including some of his earliest. One of the best stories I learned was that … my mom was born … the day after Lisa Marie was born, and my grandfather remembers meeting Elvis in the hospital lobby…. Here’s an icon everyone knows of as the King of Rock and Roll, but people who grew up in Memphis actually had these real-life experiences with him before and beyond him being The King. I’d been to Graceland so many times on school field trips—this place other people travel hundreds of miles to see. I realized that you really don’t think much about those experiences and stories until you live somewhere else and talk to people about it.” Interview: William Draper of ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (broadwayworld.com)

Playing Elvis challenged Draper to combine what’s given to him in the script with the independent research he did into his character in his effort to connect to the character in a way that resonates with the audience.

“Everyone has a preconceived idea of how Elvis moves, looks, and sounds. People know what they want to see and hear, and you just hope that they can enjoy what you’ve done with it.” Interview: William Draper of ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (broadwayworld.com)

As a result, Draper is no mere Elvis impersonator. By putting his own spin on the character and making the songs his own, Draper succeeds in recreating the King’s dynamic spirit and infusing Elvis’ songbook with new life.

But what surprised Draper most from both his research into Elvis’ life and times and bringing the character to life in the context of the script was the immense pressure Elvis felt – not only to provide for his family, but to meet the expectations of his fans.

“The pressure of being the King of Rock and Roll was not an easy thing. It was a difficult thing for him to try to live with. He sacrificed a lot physically, emotionally, and mentally to give the fans what they craved from him.” Interview: William Draper of ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (broadwayworld.com)

Draper predicts that beyond the storyline and the music, audiences will especially love the dancing and choreography.

“The choreographers just really took the ball on this musical that is brand new, and they created something that can be the basis for future productions. It’s amazing to watch them dance and move and create a timeline with their bodies.”

And while all of the 40 or so songs included in the show are pure Elvis, the two that are for Draper the most fun to perform are “Viva Las Vegas” and “All Shook Up.”

Draper debuted at Broadway Palm earlier in 2023 as Palm after his debut this summer as Prince Eric in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. His recent stage credits include Emmett in Legally Blonde, Billy Cane in Bright Star, and Rocky in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and aside from Elvis, his favorite role to date has been Cinderella’s Prince and The Wolf in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.

December 28, 2023.