You\u2019ve seen fancy musicals and serious dramas and classic comedies. Now it\u2019s time to sit back, relax, and listen to the soundtrack of a generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmokey Joe\u2019s Caf\u00e9,\u201d playing through June 9 at OnStage Playhouse, offers a cast of nine fine singers and a band of six with an evening of 37 songs by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Shirley Johnston directs. Don\u2019t worry, you won\u2019t be looking at your watch.<\/p>\n Leiber and Stoller wrote primarily in the \u201950s, cranking out unforgettable novelty numbers like \u201cYakety Yak\u201d (wherein mom lays down the law) and<\/p>\n \u201cCharlie Brown\u201d (\u201cWhy is everybody always pickin\u2019 on me?\u201d) as well as real standards like \u201cJailhouse Rock,\u201d \u201cSpanish Harlem\u201d and \u201cStand by Me.\u201d<\/p>\n And let\u2019s not forget that great classic \u201cLittle Egypt,\u201d about the dancer who had \u201ca ruby on her tummy and a diamond big as Texas on her toe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmokey Joe\u2019s Caf\u00e9\u201d opened in New York in 1995. Nearly five years later, it became the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history.<\/p>\n Notice that word \u201crevue.\u201d Realizing it\u2019s not a play will save you the pointless effort of trying to \u201cmake sense\u201d of what is essentially a concert.<\/p>\n The set design (by Teri Brown and Chad Oakley) is simple, with movable furniture and standing pillars that are draped with filmy fabric so that one or another cast member can stand behind them. The band is to the left as you enter, and they\u2019ve nicely toned down the decibel level so it\u2019s not too loud in that small space.<\/p>\n The songs are mostly presented by two or more singers, but each singer gets a chance to shine in at least one solo. You\u2019ll see those familiar doo-wop moves (choreographed by director\/choreographer Shirley Johnson) in the group numbers.<\/p>\n Belinda Pickens\u2019 \u201cHound Dog\u201d will disabuse you of the notion that anybody is \u201ccryin\u2019 all the time\u201d (Elvis changed the too-racy original lyrics). And you\u2019ll love her beautiful, round sound on \u201cFools Fall in Love.\u201d<\/p>\n Dominique Dales comes into her own in the poignant \u201cI Keep Forgettin\u2019\u201d (we\u2019re not in love anymore).<\/p>\n Emma Rose Tarr demonstrates that she can shimmy, hit those high notes and belt out a song with the best of them.<\/p>\n Shirley Johnston gets to sing some of my favorites: the melancholy \u201cPearl\u2019s a Singer,\u201d the cheeky \u201cDon Juan\u201d and the suggestive \u201cSome Cats Know\u201d (\u201cSome cats know how to stir up the feeling. But if a cat don\u2019t know, a cat don\u2019t know\u201d).<\/p>\n The women get their chance to shine together in the triumphant \u201cI\u2019m a Woman\u201d \u2013 celebrating the strength of women \u2014 which may have inspired Helen Reddy and Ray Burton\u2019s \u201cI Am Woman.\u201d<\/p>\n Tenor Kyle Leatherbury takes advantage of his ringing falsetto on \u201cI (Who Have Nothing).\u201d<\/p>\n Raymond Stradford III shines (with the less-than-interested Dominique) in the desperate \u201cLove Me\/Don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Reggie Hutchins has great stage presence, and his lead singing on \u201cPoison Ivy,\u201d \u201cLoving You\u201d and \u201cDance with Me\u201d is excellent.<\/p>\n Jake Strohl and Alexander Salazar-Dunbar were both in OnStage\u2019s wonderful production of \u201cSpring Awakening\u201d last year. Strohl is a fine tenor and a good actor.<\/p>\n Baritone Salazar-Dunbar seemed a bit tentative on opening night and doesn\u2019t move as gracefully as the others. But he came through vocally on the amusing \u201cYou\u2019re the Boss\u201d with Dominique.<\/p>\n \u201cSmokey Joe\u2019s Caf\u00e9\u201d isn\u2019t Shakespeare, but it\u2019s a fine evening\u2019s entertainment.<\/p>\n![\"Classic](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SJC-2.jpg\")