The Pasadena Playhouse has announced the cast and creative team for the hit Broadway musical revue SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE - THE SONGS OF LEIBER & STOLLER. Directed by Jeffrey Polk, performances will begin September 17 through October 13, with an official press opening on Sunday, September 22, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. at The Pasadena Playhouse. Tickets are now on sale.
"I am so thrilled and honored to be working for the first time at The
Pasadena Playhouse with this production," said director
Jeffrey Polk. "I'm really excited about the very wonderful and talented cast and the brilliant production team. It's going to be a magical experience reliving the music of Leiber and Stoller!"
The cast for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE features (in alphabetical order):
• LaVance Colley as "Victor" (back-up singer for
Diana Ross and Beyoncé)
•
Kyra DaCosta as "Brenda" (Broadway's Baby It's You! and Sweet Charity)
•
Thomas Hobson as "Ken" (Nickelodeon's "The Fresh Beat Band")
•
Stu James as "Adrian" (Broadway's The Color Purple and Rent)
• Adri
Anna Rose Lyons as "Delee" (Rock of Ages, ModRock)
•
Monique L. Midgette as "BJ" (National Tour of The Lion King, Broadway's House of Flowers)
•
Robert Neary as "Michael" (Broadway's Smokey Joe's Cafe)
•
Michael A. Shepperd as "Fred" (A Raisin in the Sun, Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors)
•
Carly Thomas Smith as "Patti" (Broadway's Rent, We Will Rock You)
In addition to director
Jeffrey Polk the creative team for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE includes music direction by Abdul Hamid Royal (Music Director for the US national tour of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE), scenic design by Gary Weismann, lighting and projection design by St
Eve Young, sound design by Jon Gotlieb and
Phil Allen and costume design by Sharell Martin.
SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE is the hottest joint in town! This Tony Award-nominated and Grammy Award-winning tribute to legendary songwriters Leiber and Stoller is a dazzling, song-and-dance celebration of 39 of rock 'n' roll's greatest hits from "Stand by Me" and "Fools Fall in Love" to "Jailhouse Rock," "Spanish Harlem" and "Yakety Yak." The New York Times claims, "
Jerry Leiber and
Mike Stoller are the Rodgers and Hammerstein of rock 'n' roll!" The New York Daily News calls Smokey Joe's Cafe "wildly infectious" and Time Magazine says, "it sails and soars!" Smokey Joe's Cafe is being presented this season in honor of Playhouse supporter and Board member,
Mike Stoller and his wife,
Corky Hale Stoller.
Jerry Leiber and
Mike Stoller met in Los Angeles as young songwriters in 1950, producing material for rhythm and blues and gospel artists. By the time they were 20 years old, they had their first huge hit with "Big Mama" Thornton's "Hound Dog" that went on to be covered by
Elvis Presley in 1956, paving the way for the new emerging sound of rock 'n' roll. In November, 1994, SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE premiered at the Doolittle Theatre in Hollywood as a part of the
Ahmanson Theatre's season and then transferred to Broadway in March 1995 where it played at the Virginia Theatre for over 2,000 performances becoming the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history.
SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE - THE SONGS OF LEIBER AND STOLLER will play from September 17 - October 13, 2013 with the official press opening onSunday, September 22, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. The
Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Single show ticket prices for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE range from $45.00 - $85.00, with Premium Seating available for $125.00. Service and theatre restoration fees apply to all purchases. Tickets are available by calling The
Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529 or by visiting The
Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, Tuesday -Sunday from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. during non-performance dates. On performance dates the Box Office is open Tuesday - Saturday from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available 24 hours online at
www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org. Group Sales (8 or more) are available by calling 626-921-1161.
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