By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO –One thing about the musical revue Smokey Joe’s Café there isn’t much not to like about it.
For those of you who might never heard the names Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, for sure you’ve heard their music. Think “Hound Dog”, “Stand by Me”, “There Goes My Baby”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Fools Fall in Love”, “Yackety Yak”, “Kansas City”, “Charlie Brown”, “Spanish Harlem”, “On Broadway” and “Love Potion #9” to name a few.
All the tunes are all rolled out in the San Diego Musical Theatre production of Smokey Joe’s Café and can be seen on the Lyceum stage of the San Diego Repertory Theatre downtown through the 10th of this month.
A splendid ensemble made up of four women and five men all in great voices performing together and separately performs about 38 of the Leiber/Stoller repertoire both popular and not so popular.
Musical conductor and director Don LeMaster with his seven-piece band along with director Ron Kellum keep the music coming fast and furious. Since there is no story per se the music (and dancing) is non-stop as the Tony Award winning (1995) show is held together solely by the music.
The cast is casually dressed (Michele Ninness) and start the evening off with all singing “Neighborhood” and giving the impression that it’s a look back to another time frame. It might somehow be that since it ends on the same apartment stoop with “The Neighborhood” but it’s unlikely.
The excellent cast includes Jenn Aedo (“You’re The Boss”), Lawrence Cummings (“Spanish Harlem” and “I Who Have Nothing”, both show stoppers), Laura Dickinson, Jay Donnell, Lauren Hildebrandt (“Falling”), David Lemarr, Dominic Rambaran also starred in the Lawrence Welk production several years back (with a stunning bass voice), Robert J. Townsend (“Ruby Baby”) and Otha White (“Hound Dog”).
Chris Rynnes lighting design adds much needed color to the too large stage (for this show) especially in Act I where the panels are but backdrops but there is no scenery. In Act II the setting is the Café. Larry Esau’s sound design is just right.
Overall, this is one show that crosses generation lines and will entertain for years to come. Oh by the way, the two just happen to have been on the front lines of Rock ’N Roll during the 50’s and 60’s and their music is a direct reflection of that.
Coming up next for this up and coming company whose “Dreamgirls” won an award from The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle for “Outstanding Resident Musical (2008) is “The Story of My Life” followed by the popular “A Chorus Line”.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through Oct. 10th
Organization: San Diego Musical Theatre
Phone: 858-560-5740
Production Type: Musical Revue
Where: Lyceum Theatre, Horton Plaza
Ticket Prices: $30.00-$70.00
Web: sdmt.org
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Theatre critic Davis is based in San Diego