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A CurtainUp New Jersey Review
Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller
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They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway They say there's always magic in the air But when you're walkin' down that street And you ain't had enough to eat The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere — from the song "On Broadway" |
From Left to Right: Eric LaJuan Summers, Dennis Stowe, Maia Nkenge Wilson, Bernard Dotson, and E. Clayton Cornelious
(Photo: T. Charles Erickson) |
Perhaps because it has no book, no discernable continuity, point of view or structure, you could say that Smokey Joe’s Café falls easily into the genre that was eventually characterized as the jukebox musical. It is also the jukebox musical at its purest and best. And the exciting and joyous new production, under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee, at the Paper Mill Playhouse proves it.
Smokey Joe’s Café first opened on Broadway in 1995. It proved that audiences would vociferously respond to songs they knew and that fondly recalled a time and place. It had a run that exceeded five years and certainly helped to pave the way for such future songbook retreads (excluding Mamma Mia, Crazy for You, Hot Feet etc. that wedged old songs into a new book) such as the successful Movin’ Out and unsuccessful Good Vibrations and Ring of Fire. Million Dollar Quartet recently opened to mostly favorable if not ecstatic rave reviews.
Not taking anything away from the original cast, director Hoebee could not have found nine more personable, extraordinarily talented or attractive performers to make Smokey Joe’s Café all that it can be. For starters, Hoebee has, indeed, given the show a subtly engaging kind of continuity that allows the show’s 39 songs to segue cleverly and wittily from one to the next. The performers — Jackie Burn, E. Clayton Cornelious, Bernard Dotson, Felicia Finley, Carly Hughes, Andrew Rannells, Dennis Stowe, Eric LaJuan Summers, Maia Nkenge Wilson—group and regroup, pair off and solo with unstoppable enthusiasm. To top it off, each is a sensational dancer. They should all be credited with giving an added dimension and a jolt to virtually every song.
Many of the songs by the successful and prolific Lieber and Stoller once provided massive hits for Peggy Lee, The Coasters, Big Mama Thornton, and of course, Elvis Presley ("Hound Dog, quot; and "Jailhouse Rock"). Admirers of their songs will no doubt feel twinges of nostalgia. And I suspect that purists of the genre will also be pleased by the interpretative styling of the songs, as well as by the more than competent 7-piece on-stage back-up band under the baton of Tom Helm. The musical journey moves from "The Neighborhood" to Act II’s title locale.
If I have to choose my favorite performer it would be Maia Nkenge Wilson for the way she soulfully embraced "Fools in Love" and then gave "what for" to her "no account" man in "Hound Dog. quot; The rough and tough cookie Jackie Burns and the devilishly insinuatingly Carly Hughes put a little fisticuffs into their skirmish called "Trouble." It may be an old stunt, but the endlessly long purple feather boa that drapes Carly’s shoulders gets a workout during "Don Juan." But it was more than that boa that made us take notice of the grand garments and dazzling gowns contributed by costume designer Brian Hemesath.
Highly energized blonde Felicia Finley belts the business out of "I Keep Forgettin," and "Pearl’s a Singer." But it takes Eric LaJuan Summers to stop the show with his dramatically intense "I (who have nothing)." E. Clayton Cornelious, Bernard Dotson (who serves as dance captain), Andrew Rannells and Dennis Stowe concertedly capture the spirit of Lieber and Stoller with their superb singing and exuberant dancing. Choreographer Denis Jones puts the company through its most ingenious paces using faux mirrors for "Shoppin’ for Clothes. ".
The production is enhanced by Jonathan Spencer’s smartly designed settings that effectively employs glittering curtains, neon (splendid lighting design by Charlie Morrison), and the obligatory prism ball. To use a Lieber and Stoller song title: This is a show that would look just fine once again "On Broadway."
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Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller Directed by Mark S. Hoebee Cast: Jackie Burns, e. Clayton Cornelious, Bernard Dotson, Felicia Finley, Carly Hughes, Andrew Rannells, Dennis Stowe, Eric LaJuan Summers, Maia Nkenge Wilson Scenic Design: Jonathan Spencer Costume Design: Brian Hemesath Lighting Design: Charlie Morrison Sound Design: Randy Hansen Running Time: 2 hours including intermission Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn, N.J. (973) 376 – 4343 Prices: $25 - $92 Performances: Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, Thursdays at 1:30 PM & 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 1:30 PM & 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 1:30 PM & 7 PM. Previews began 04/07/10 Opened 04/11/10 Ends 05/02/10 Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance 04/11/10 |
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