Smokey Joe's Cafe: Sizzling and Sultry
Often when I attend the theater, I’ve either done the show, seen it before or am very familiar with the material. I admit none of these things applied to “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”. I was only marginally familiar with some of the songs and had never seen a production of this musical revue. The big positive was I could sit back, relax, put my critical eye to rest and enjoy the performance without any preconceived notions or comparisons in my head.
Last evening was the first performance of The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts’ new season. “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is an Ordway Original, meaning the majority of the cast and orchestra are local talent. As a Twin Cities resident now, I prefer seeing local Equity actors used rather than outside actors being brought in, though my work in the Twin Cities was via National Tours. Funny, how your perspective changes as your life changes.
Back to the show ... It was sizzling and sultry and I enjoyed it immensely! The cast of nine: four women and five men, didn’t have a weak link. The mostly union cast was vocally adept; executing their choreography with verve, managing to wring the most out of every comic moment (with Rendell DuBose, a standout at the latter). It was certainly the hardest working group of performers I’ve seen in a long time!
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is a presentation of 39 songs by the composing team of Leiber and Stoller. Among the more familiar songs were “Hound Dog”, “Fools Fall in Love”, “Yakity Yak”, “I’m a Woman”, “Love Potion #9”, “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand by Me”. The production benefitted greatly from the resonate bass of Shavey Brown and the thrilling voice and presence of Rajane Katurah! I could listen to her sing all night!
The clever, seamless direction of Joshua Bergasse, the musical direction by Sanford Moore and all of the design elements added up to an exciting night out on the town!
I only had a couple of minor quibbles. At times, the band overshadowed the vocals and mics were a touch late coming up, meaning the audience lost the opening lyrics of a song. I’m sure the glitches will be corrected. The cast came out into the aisles during some of the numbers. I was sitting in an aisle seat and I was disappointed not to hear any live sound coming from one of the actors. Was she marking or was she not amplified while in the audience? No matter, the show is excellent!! The audience was maybe half full ... Folks, this musical revue deserves your attention! If you're in the area, go see!
The Ordway at dusk. Selfie with my friend Cory at Smokey Joe's The set for Smokey Joe's Cafe
Cast Performance Photos by Ben Norman Photography