Pal Joey 2023
Opened: November 1, 2023Closing: November 05, 2023
Pal Joey - 2023 Off-Broadway History , Info & More
New York City Center
131 West 55th St. (between 6th and 7th Avenues) New York, NY 10019
Nightclub singer Joey Evans has seen quite a few revisions to his character since John O’Hara first penned his short stories for The New Yorker in the late 1930s. But in Richard LaGravenese and Daniel “Koa” Beaty’s brand-new adaptation, the character of Joey undergoes a complete transformation. Played by Tony-nominated actor Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud), Joey is a Black jazz singer refusing to compromise on his craft and struggling to make it big his way, with his sound.
Directed by tap icon Savion Glover and Tony Goldwyn, with bold dance stagings by Glover that capture the real beat of Chicago jazz, this Rodgers and Hart classic features songs like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and newly incorporated gems like “The Lady is a Tramp” that shine with sexy wit and powerful new subtext. Revered, revised, and now re-envisioned for a new era, Pal Joey proves it has more to tell us about love, lust, and the music behind it all.
Pal Joey - 2023 - Off-Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Pal Joey
‘Pal Joey’ Review: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildering
5 / 10
You can certainly count on coherence from the songs themselves, no matter how randomly they sometimes seem to have been placed in one Rodgers and Hart show instead of another. Even completely shorn of plot relevance, they are evergreen for a reason. Though this “Pal Joey” rightfully questions the appropriation of Black voices in American popular song — referring to the King of Jazz, Paul Whiteman, and the King of Swing, Benny Goodman, Joey says, “Awful lot of Kings out there playing our music” — it’s strange to build that argument on the back of these standards. If they’re the problem, why celebrate them, and make them sound so good in the process?
PAL JOEY: AT CITY CENTER, PURISTS ARE IN FOR A SURPRISE
6 / 10
Still, the story line remains more or less on track so far. It’s in bumping a hitherto peripheral character – the nondescript, nonsinging, nondancing club manager – to the fore that the rewriters simultaneously triumph and overstep. As the updated counterpart, de facto den mother Lucille Wallace, Loretta Devine (who achieved stardom with Dreamgirls) is assigned a number of songs that challenge her current vocal capabiity. Text-wise, she’s fantastic, “Lu” having been assigned all the wittier, more insightful lines. As for her side-plot romance with Vera’s fixer, Tony? Conveying not the slightest trace of thuggish menace (would that be un-PC?), Jeb Brown plays the gangster like a benign Park Avenue toff who thinks that he’s the main story.
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Review Roundup: PAL JOEY at New York City Center
by Nicole Rosky - November 2, 2023
by Nicole Rosky - November 2, 2023
NEW YORK CITY CENTER is presenting Pal Joey! which just opened with a benefit performance and runs through November 5. Let's see what the critics had to say...
Photos: New York City Center Opens PAL JOEY With Benefit Performance
by Jennifer Broski - November 2, 2023
by Jennifer Broski - November 2, 2023
New York City Center's Pal Joey opened with a benefit performance last night, November 1, and BroadwayWorld was there! Check out photos here!
Video: See Highlights From PAL JOEY at New York City Center
by A.A. Cristi - November 1, 2023
by A.A. Cristi - November 1, 2023
NEW YORK CITY CENTER is presenting Pal Joey! The production opens with a benefit performance on November 1 (through 5), celebrating 80 years at the center or the arts, followed by a gala dinner at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. See video from the show!
Photos: Get a First Look at PAL JOEY at New York City Center
by Nicole Rosky - November 1, 2023
by Nicole Rosky - November 1, 2023
Check out photos of Loretta Devine and the cast of Encores! Pal Joey at New York City Center. Get a sneak peek at the talented performers bringing this classic show to life.
Video: In Rehearsals for PAL JOEY with Ephraim Sykes, Aisha Jackson & More
by Nicole Rosky - October 19, 2023
by Nicole Rosky - October 19, 2023
In this video, watch as we meet with the cast of New York City Center's Gala presentation of Pal Joey!
Photos: Go Inside Rehearsals for PAL JOEY at New York City Center
by Jonah Hale - October 18, 2023
by Jonah Hale - October 18, 2023
The company of New York City Center's Gala presentation of Pal Joey just met the press and we have photos from big day.
Video: Ephraim Sykes & Aisha Jackson Sing from PAL JOEY
by Nicole Rosky - October 11, 2023
by Nicole Rosky - October 11, 2023
Coming up next month at NEW YORK CITY CENTER is the Annual Gala Presentation Pal Joey. Check out videos of Ephraim Sykes and Aisha Jackson performing three songs from the show!
Full Cast Revealed for PAL JOEY at New York City Center Featuring Glover, Ashmanskas, Devine & More
by Chloe Rabinowitz - September 14, 2023
by Chloe Rabinowitz - September 14, 2023
NEW YORK CITY CENTER has unveiled the complete cast for the Annual Gala Presentation Pal Joey. See who is starring and learn how to purchase tickets!
Pal Joey FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the songs in Pal Joey and what's the order?
You Mustn't Kick It Around
I Could Write a Book
Chicago
That Terrific Rainbow
Love Is My Friend
Happy Hunting Horn
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Pal Joey
Joey Looks into the Future Ballet
The Flower Garden of My Heart
Zip
Plant You Now, Dig You Later
Den of Iniquity
Do It the Hard Way
Take Him
I'm Talking to My Pal
What Is a Man?
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
There's a Small Hotel
My Funny Valentine
The Lady Is a Tramp
Overture
A Dance Rehearsal
I Could Write a Book
Chicago
That Terrific Rainbow
Love Is My Friend
Happy Hunting Horn
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Pal Joey
Joey Looks into the Future Ballet
The Flower Garden of My Heart
Zip
Plant You Now, Dig You Later
Den of Iniquity
Do It the Hard Way
Take Him
I'm Talking to My Pal
What Is a Man?
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
There's a Small Hotel
My Funny Valentine
The Lady Is a Tramp
Overture
A Dance Rehearsal
Pal Joey History
Other Productions of Pal Joey
| 1940 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 1952 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 1954 | West End |
London Production West End |
| 1959 | Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
Paper Mill Production Milburn, NJ (Regional) |
| 1961 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
| 1963 | Broadway |
City Center Revival Broadway |
| 1976 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 1980 | Regional (US) |
Regional Revival Regional (US) |
| 1980 | London Fringe |
London Revival London Fringe |
| 1995 | Off-Broadway |
Encores! Concert Off-Broadway |
| 2002 | Regional (US) |
Regional Revival Regional (US) |
| 2008 | Broadway |
Roundabout Revival Broadway |
| 2023 | Off-Broadway |
Encores! Concert Revival Production Off-Broadway |
| 2023 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Videos