Longest Running Broadway Revue to Open at Alhambra

Nominated for eight Tony® Awards, Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, including rock and roll and rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The Original Broadway cast recording, Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs Of Leiber And Stoller, won a Grammy Award in 1996. After a Los Angeles tryout, the revue opened on Broadway in 1995, running for 2,036 performances, making it the longest -running musical revue in Broadway history. It also had a London run in 1996. The show will open at Jacksonville's Alhambra Theatre & Dining on August 3, 2016.

Showcasing 39 hit songs in a revue format and with no dialogue, Smokey Joe's Cafe was conceived by Stephen Helper, Jack Viertel, and Otis Sallid. The musical had its world premiere at the Doolittle Theatrein Los Angeles, where it ran from November 1994 to January 22, 1995. The revue opened on Broadway on March 2, 1995 at the Virginia Theatre and closed on January 16, 2000 after 2,036 performances. Directed by Jerry Zaks with choreography by Joey McKneely, the nine person cast featured Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey, Brenda Braxton, Victor Trent Cook, B. J. Crosby, Pattie D'Arcy Jones, DeLee Lively, Frederick B. Owens, and Michael Park. Throughout its run, there were special appearances by many popular singers, includingBen E. King (December 1998), Pam Tillis (April 1999), Gladys Knight (May 1999), Tony Orlando (June 1999), Lou Rawls (April 1999), Gloria Gaynor (August 1999) and Rick Springfield (October 1999).

Said Alhambra Managing Partner, Craig Smith, "People may not know the names Leiber and Stoller, but when the curtain goes up they're going to know the songs. With hits like "Dance With Me," "Fools Fall In Love," "On Broadway," and "Stand by Me," we are expecting singing and dancing in the aisles. This will be a light and fun summer show!"

About the Menu for Smokey Joe's Cafe

Executive Chef DeJuan Roy creates a new menu at the Alhambra for every show, basing his creativity on the themes he finds in the scripts. For Smokey Joe's Cafe, Chef Roy includes in his unique menu: The first course includes a choice of watermelon and yellow tomato gazpacho or chopped house salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, cheddar cheese, croutons and French dressing. The second course includes a choice of fruits de mer served over fettuccine Alfredo with fresh lemon broccolini, or pulled pork with pickles, baked beans, hot water cornbread, or jerk chicken with black beans, yellow rice, fried plantains, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo or polenta cake with wild mushroom, heirloom tomato, sherry cream, fresh herbs, goat cheese. The dessert course includes choice of Hummingbird Cake with pineapple coulis, fresh whipped cream or Key Lime pie with berry compote.

Dates, Times & Pricing

Smokey Joe's Cafe runs August 3, 2016 through September 4, 2016. Times are 8:00 PMfor evening shows Tuesday through Sunday. Doors open at 6:00 PM and dinner starts at6:30 PM. Matinees on Saturday are at 1:15 PM. Doors open at 11:00 AM and meal service starts at 11:15 AM. Sunday matinee is at 2:00. Doors open at noon and the meal service starts at 12:15 PM. Group sales are available. Tickets start at $35 for and range to $53. Ticket price includes dinner, show and parking. Call the box office at 904.641.1212 or at www.alhambrajax.com

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