Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock and roll, and rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The show is presented  in revue format with no unifying theme. Members of the cast perform in various combinations, with no dialogue. There are novelty songs ("Charlie Brown"), romantic ballads ("Spanish Harlem") and infectious melodies like ("There Goes My Baby"). Director Amy Broad, the cast and the production crew at The Peninsula Community Theater have put together a “smokin-hot’, crowd pleasing musical treat for your viewing pleasure.  

Ms. Broad’s creative choices all paid off extremely well. She most definitely raised the bar on several levels. The Black and White short film that played prior to the start of the show featured the cast members in a variety of settings and was extremely helpful in setting the mood of the show. It also gave us a peek into Amy’s talents as a film maker and producer.  Ms. Broad has also selected a piece that lent itself extremely well to multi-cultural casting. In this day and age our communities are in fact extremely diverse, so I am always pleased to see that diversity represented onstage. This was evident in both her casting choices and the musicians who made up the band.

Break out performances of the evening for me were, Sheila Diggs Jones, Kevin Lara and Max Casanova. Sheila Diggs Jones has that kind of presence that sends shivers up your spine; she not only owns each one of her performances, she commands the stage with the ease of seasoned diva. Her powerful voice took me back to my memories of watching Jennifer Holiday perform on Broadway. Kevin Lara showed great range in going from the comedic to the dramatic and everywhere else in between. He handled all his physical comedy with great flair and style. His dynamic command of singing, dancing and acting made his performances sizzle. Max Casanova, a newcomer to PCT, was extremely engaging in all of his performances. Not only does he have a beautiful singing voice, he also has a command of the stage that is electrifying. I really hope to see more of him in our local performances.  

The talented cast is made up of Ashley Burton, Maxx Casanova, Sheila Diggs Jones, Kevin Lara, Andre LeDoux, Stephen Mason, Amanda Poplin, Rico Robinson and Kathryn Squires. This ensemble was fascinating to watch!  Their energy was high, their sound was rich, and their personalities really shone through in their performances.  In regard to the female half of this unit they really raised the roof with their performance of “I’m a Woman”; for the men “Little Egypt” was a blast!

One more thing that must be celebrated about this production was its recognition and inclusion of the production team. Normally the band is hidden or in the pit, but in this production the band, comprised of Roscoe Redcross (Musical Director), Gary Lively (Guitar), Tony Onque (Saxophone), Jeff Sherman (Bass), Nik White (Percussion) and Andrew Blackmon (Accompanist), are brought front and center into the production, complete with instrumental solos. I especially enjoyed HOW the band was introduced into the action.  The music was superb, a musical treat down memory lane.  It was also a surprise, and quite  refreshing to see choreographers Chris Hogan and Victoria Tarver join the company onstage for the dance number in “Jail house Rock.” Heather Hill did an outstanding job with lighting. The special effects and gobos used on the scrims were beautifully orchestrated and quite creative.

A review wouldn’t be a review without critique – and I can sum mine up in one word: Distractions. The sound was plagued with microphone issues. Some microphones never seemed to work, others cut in and out which took the power away from some of the numbers. I also found myself distracted by the choice of hairstyles in regard to the women of the ensemble. Two wore time period appropriate wigs, and the other two had more contemporary up-to-date looks. Additionally, I found it extremely distracting to watch one member of the ensemble consistently be off beat in both song and dance. He never seemed connected with his cast members, nor connected and committed to his performance.  The strength, polish and professionalism of the remaining members more than made up for this deficiency. But their expertise, made this particular distraction, all the more obvious. All in all this is wonderful production, and one that you shouldn't miss --- buy your tickets TODAY! You will literally be up on your feet, and not wanting the show to end.

Smokey Joe’s Café runs through March 20 visit www.pctlive.org for ticket pricing and information.