Stephanie Pope Lofgren to Direct SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE at North Shore Music Theatre

The jukebox will come to life when SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller opens the 2022 Musical Season at Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT). This production will be directed and choreographed by Broadway's Stephanie Pope Lofgren who was an original cast member of London's West End production. SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE plays from Tuesday, June 7 thru Sunday, June 19, 2022.

"What makes Smokey Joe's Cafe such a hit with audiences is the timeless rock 'n' roll music that makes up this show, but what makes it appealing to me to produce is the way we will be presenting the show," said Bill Hanney, NSMT owner and producer. "Our director and choreographer, Stephanie Pope Lofgren, is bringing a deep knowledge of the show gained by starring in the original West End production and fusing it with her own vision for the show. Being able to give our audiences a show that feels both familiar and new at the same time is the best of both worlds."

SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE is the Grammy© Award-winning and Tony© Award-nominated smash hit, that made history as Broadway's longest-running musical revue featuring 40 of the greatest songs of the past century, including show-stopping classics like "On Broadway," "Stand by Me," "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog," "Love Potion No. 9," "Spanish Harlem," "Yakety Yak," and "Charlie Brown." The musical revue is electrifying entertainment with the classic themes of love won, lost and imagined blended with slice-of-life emotions. This show isn't just great pop music - it's compelling musical theatre celebrating the music of legendary songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller whose music defined a generation and provided hit after hit for icons like Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, the Coasters, and the Drifters.

"What I want Smokey Joe's Cafe to evoke is that universal feeling of being "home," that place that despite everything going on in your life, you think of fondly and that you love to go to. A place that no matter how far away you travel, you always come back to, whether physically or just in your mind," says director Stephanie Pope Lofgren. "It does not matter where you are from, where you grew up, whether you had money or did not, whether times were hard, or you had no care in the world, there is always something about 'home' that holds a special place in your heart. That feeling is as universal as the music in the show."

SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE marks Stephanie Pope Lofgren's North Shore Music Theater debut as a director & choreographer. Her Broadway career has spanned 5 decades beginning when she was hand-picked by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon to appear in Fosse's last original Broadway show, Big Deal, followed by the first Broadway revival of his Sweet Charity. Other Broadway credits include Pippin, Fosse, Chicago, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Will Rogers Follies, and Honky Tonk Nights. She was an original cast member of the West End production of Smokey Joe's Cafe and has starred in the national tours of Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Sweet Charity as well as many regional productions across the country, including North Shore Music Theatre's 1995 production of Gentleman Prefer Blondes.

The ensemble cast of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE will feature Andrés Acosta (Michael - June 14 - 19), Korie Lee Blossey (Fred), Christopher Brasfield (Victor), Kelsey DeNae (Pattie), Albert Guerzon (Michael - June 7 - 12), Nicole Henry (Brenda), David Hughey (Adrian), Nathan Lucrezio (Ken), Mariah Lyttle (BJ), and Bailey Purvis (DeLee). Katie LaDuca and Dwayne P Mitchell will serve as Performance Swings.

Joining Director/Choreographer Stephanie Pope Lofgren on the creative team will be Milton Granger (Music Director), Kyle Dixon (Scenic Design), Kelly Baker (Costume Design), Jack Mehler (Lighting Design), Don Hanna (Sound Design), Albert Guerzon (Associate Choreographer), Tommy Scrivens (Assistant to the Director), Stephen MacDonald (Production Stage Manager), Dakotah Wiley Horan (Assistant Stage Manager) and Robert L. Rucinski (Assistant Music Director). SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE is produced for North Shore Music Theatre by Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director), and Matthew Chappell (Associate Producer / Casting Director).

Tickets for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE are priced starting from $63 - $88. Performances are June 7 - 19, Tue - Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. Kids 18 and under save 50% at all performances. $25 Student Rush tickets are available. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office in person at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA. SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE is sponsored by Iron Tree Service.

ADDITIONAL FREE AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT EVENTS:

• Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on June 14 after the 7:30 pm performance and June 18 after the 2 pm performance.
• OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the LGBTQ+ Community with a post-show reception on June 16 after the 7:30 pm performance. OUT at the North Shore is sponsored by North Shore Pride.

North Shore Music Theatre will continue the 2022 musical season with Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (July 12 - 24), Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (August 16 - 28), Little Shop of Horrors (September 20 - October 2), Kinky Boots (October 15 - November 6), and the annual production of A Christmas Carol starring David Coffee (December 1 - 23).

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