Smokey Joe's Cafe
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Cititour.com Review
They penned dozens of chart-topping hits for everyone from Elvis Presley to Peggy Lee to Ben E. King, had their songs covered by hundreds of artists, and a couple of those tunes are now being performed on Broadway (specifically “On Broadway”) in the hit musical “Beautiful.” And oh yeah, a revue of three dozen of these toe-tappers, entitled “Smokey Joe’s Café,” made Broadway history two decades ago – and is now back in an energetic, excellently-performed revival at Stage 42. And yet, I still bet the names of Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber may mean nothing to you!
That may be because, unlike in such jukebox biomusicals as “Beautiful” and “Jersey Boys,” the songwriters’ names are never mentioned on stage, nor do they appear as characters; “Smokey Joe’s” is only about the timeless music the duo created, much of which dominated the radio airwaves in the 1950s and 1960s. (It’s no accident that dozens of radios are a major component of Beowulf Boritt’s extravagantly elaborate barroom set, beautifully lit by Jeff Croiter.) Indeed, one of the many pleasures of this show is discovering that many of the songs you grew up loving (at least, if you’re a member of a certain generation) were written by this prolific pair.
Director-choreographer Joshua Bergasse’s new production often does justice to this material (some of which is, admittedly, very slight), but the concept of cramming all of the songs into a 90-minute intermissionless production is a minor misstep (pun intended). Neither the performers nor the audience nor the songs themselves are given any room to breathe, as one song after another hurtles like a bullet train into the next station. And given how beautifully Bergasse can stage a number, especially with so many excellent dancers in his nine-person cast, some more extended and innovative choreographic turns would have been welcome.
While this group of performers works superbly together, Bergasse does give each of his players their own chance to shine, and many of those numbers are among the show’s strongest: the ultra-charismatic, rubber-legged and acrobatic Jelani Remy almost literally brings down the house with an all-out version of “Jailhouse Rock”; the sassy, strong-voiced Alysha Umphress brings amazing poignancy to the story song “Pearl’s A Singer” and is delectable on “Trouble”; John Edwards amazes towards the show’s end with an incredibly passionate “I Who Have Nothing;” and the fierce Nicole Vanessa Ortiz scorches the stage on “Hound Dog” and can literally break your heart singing “Fools Fall in Love.”
Equally fine are the ultra-graceful former ballerina Dionne D. Figgins, who stuns with her terpsichorean talent in “Spanish Harlem” (sung beautifully by Remy), “Dance With Me,” and the slinky “Don Juan” (deliciously reminiscent of an Eartha Kitt number), while the leggy Emma Degersterdt is literally stunning in “Teach Me How to Do the Shimmy” (outfitted in one of Alejo Vijetti’s more fabulous costumes) and “Bossa Nova Baby.” And Dwayne Cooper, Kyle Taylor Parker (providing some great comic relief) and Max Sangerman each make strong contributions as well.
Surprisingly, even with everything that has been jam-packed into this show, somehow you will leave “Smokey Joe’s Café” feeling pleasantly satisfied rather than horridly overstuffed. What more can you ask of a mid-summer meal?
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://smokeyjoescafemusical.com
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/23/2018
Closing 11/4/2018
Theatre Info
Stage 42
422 West 42nd Street
Neighborhood: West 40s
New York, NY 10036
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