YOU ARE THE KING!

The Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theatre premiered the performance You Are the King! produced and authored by the renowned director Alakbar Taghizade.

Dream against Power

The musical, based on the timeless hits of the legendary 20th-century singer and actor, the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley (1935-1977), is built on the story of a talented young man named Elvin (Atilla Mammadov), who works as a waiter in a club in a small American town. His cherished dream is to become a professional singer, get on stage, become a star, and finally win the heart of the talented singer, Marilyn.

But! Standing in the way of achieving this dream is the club owner, Major Brown (Elchin Ahadzade), who constantly obstructs the young man.

The intrigue of the stage version of the fate of the 20th-century pop star Elvis Presley, by the will of the author of the libretto and director of the musical You Are the King!

Taghizade, gaining momentum, keeps the audience in suspense the entire time. Their sympathies remain with Elvin, and the convincing performance of the actor Ahadzade, who created the image of the malicious and envious "boss," allows those in the hall to find analogous situations in the lives of people living in the 21st century.

Family secrets and hidden connections

The performance's action, having reached the highest point of emotional tension, puts everything in its place. It turns out that Elvin's mother (Mehriban Zaliyeva) was also a singer and once worked in Brown's bar, but left the stage after the birth of her son. Elvin did not know that Brown was his biological father. But Major Brown didn't know this either!

The inner Self and the path to success

There is another character named Elvis (Rauf Babayev)—Elvin's imaginary friend. More precisely—his inner self, personifying not only his doubts but also the search for the creative spirit leading Elvin to his cherished goal, calling him to the stage. Throughout the entire performance, Elvin talks with him, asks questions, and receives answers. Elvis appears to him sometimes in dreams, sometimes coming to life in his fantasies. A strong spiritual bond exists between them.

And when Elvin falls into despair, the imaginary King of Rock and Roll (Elvis Presley) saves him from his depressed state, inspiring him to success on stage and in love. Having achieved the desired result, Elvis passes the microphone to Elvin as a symbol of a professional relay and says: "Now, you are the king!" and the audience, which had closely followed all the vicissitudes of the fate of the man and singer Elvin, erupts in deafening applause and shouts of "Bravo!"

Success

The curtain was raised three times at the finale—the enthusiastic audience did not want to let go of their new heroes, discovered during the performance. Actors whom, thanks to the director, they discovered for themselves in a new light of professional capabilities. The musical "You Are the King!" is one of the best on the list of Baku's theatrical premieres in the 2025-2026 season.

Its action, having captured the audience's attention, also managed to capture their hearts, giving them a wonderful, uplifted mood not only for that evening but for the following days as well. There has not been such a unanimous, enthusiastic reception of a performance in Baku for a very long time.

The production brought enormous pleasure to lovers of theatrical art and left an indelible impression thanks to its interesting plot, magnificent music, dance and choreographic scenes, and the virtuosic performance mastery of the actors.

This miracle of a true celebration and triumph of theatrical art was created, along with the actors, the author of the libretto, and the performance, by: musical director and conductor Javad Taghizade, production designer Vusal Rahim, ballet master Kamila Aliyeva, choirmaster, Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan Vagif Mastanov, conductor Samad Suleymanli, concertmaster, presidential scholar Kamil Hasanov, gaffer Rafael Vagifoghlu, and assistant directors Tamilla Aslanova and Polina Fedorova.