Photo Flash: First Look at WaterTower Theatre's SMOKEY JOE'S CAFÉ, Opening Tonight, 7/23

WaterTower Theatre's Smokey Joe's Cafe opens tonight, July 23, and plays through August 12, 2012, featuring an ensemble cast, including Steve Barcus, Feleceia Benton, Chimberly Carter Byrom, Walter Cunningham, Maurice Johnson, Laura Lites, Calvin Roberts, Courtney Sikora and Akron Watson. Get a first look at the ensemble in the photos below!

Making their WaterTower Theatre debuts are Maurice Johnson, Laura Lites, Calvin Roberts, Courtney Sikora and Akron Watson. Terry Martin leads the creative team as director with John de los Santos as Choreographer/Assistant Director, Scott Eckert as Music Director, Clare Floyd DeVries as Set Designer, David Natinsky as Lighting Designer, Michael Robinson as Costume Designer, Georgana Jinks as Props Designer and Scott Guenther as Sound Designer. Multi-award-winning director Martin is in his 15th season as Producing Artistic Director of WaterTower Theatre where he has overseen more than 70 productions.

Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue celebrating the "Stand by Me" songwriting duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The composers' chart-toppers include "Poison Ivy," "Love Potion #9," "Yakety Yak," "Jailhouse Rock," "Spanish Harlem" and "Hound Dog." The concert musical Smokey Joe's Café, a compendium of Leiber/Stoller tunes, covers much of the era from the backside of Grease to the Summer of Love. It celebrates a classic strain of rock 'n' roll.

Smokey Joe's Café opened on Broadway in 1995. That same year Smokey Joe's Café was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and was honored with nominations for seven 1994-1995 Tony Awards. The show ran on Broadway for five years, making it the longest-running musical revue in the history of Broadway.

WaterTower Theatre is one of the leading regional theatres in North Dallas and Texas. It is consistently recognized for its artistic excellence by the Dallas Theatre League, Dallas/Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Observer, D Magazine and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, among others.