Smokey Joe's Café - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Smokey Joe's Café - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  4w, 5m

Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

Words and Music by Leiber & Stoller

Featuring nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded, this explosive musical revue takes audiences on a journey through the Golden Age of American rock 'n' roll.

Image: Joan Marcus

Smokey Joe's Café - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: Seven 1995 Tony Awards, including Best Musical
    Winner! 1996 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album
Smokey Joe's Café - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller

Details

Summary
Leiber and Stoller, as much as anyone, virtually invented rock 'n' roll, and now their songs provide the basis for an electrifying entertainment that illuminates a golden age of American culture. In an idealized '50s setting, the classic themes of love won, lost and imagined blend with hilarious set-pieces and slice-of-life emotions. Featuring nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded, Smokey Joe's Cafe isn't just great pop music – it's compelling musical theatre.
History
Smokey Joe's Cafe opened on Broadway at the Virginia Theatre on 2 March 1995. The hit show ran for 2,036 performances, making it the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history. The original production, directed by Jerry Zaks, featured Brenda Braxton, B.J. Crosby, DeLee Lively and Victor Trent Cook.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

KEN – The smoothie who, along with Victor, Adrian and Fred, makes up a quartet modeled on The Drifters
ADRIAN – The slow one of the quartet
FREDERICK – The implacable bass of the quartet
VICTOR – The preening bad-boy who gets most of the comedy
MICHAEL – Genuinely suave and impressive, evokes the memory of Elvis
BRENDA – A combination of savvy, wit, brains and beauty
B.J. – Inspired by the titanic rhythm and blues shouter Big Mama Thornton
PATTIE – The throaty voice of experience
DELEE – Suggests the innocence of teenage girls, but with a wild streak

NOTE: Cast can be easily expanded. For the purposes of this script, the characters are identified by the names of the actors who created the roles in the original Broadway production. In subsequent productions they should be identified by the names of the actors playing the roles.

  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting A simple set, evocative of the 1950s.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“Wildly infectious!” – New York Daily News

“To the baby-boom generation, the songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller are as sacrosanct as George Gershwin is to their parents.” – The New York Times

“Blissful!” – WABC-TV

“Smokin'!” – Star Ledger

Videos

  • Smokey Joe's Cafe - Stage 42 Highlights youtube thumbnail

    Smokey Joe's Cafe - Stage 42 Highlights

  • Smokey Joe's Cafe at Riverside Theatre youtube thumbnail

    Smokey Joe's Cafe at Riverside Theatre

Music

Music Samples

1. “Neighbourhood” – The Company
2. “Young Blood” – Adrian with Frederick, Ken and Victor
3. “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun” – Delee
4. “Ruby Baby” – Michael with Adrian, Frederick, Ken and Victor
5. “Dance With Me” – Ken and B.J with Adrian, Frederick and Victor
6. “Neighbourhood (Reprise)” – B.J., Brenda, Delee and Pattie
7. “Keep On Rollon’” – Victor, Adrian, Ken and Frederick
8. “Searchin’” – Victor with Adrian, Ken and Frederick
9. “Kansas City” – B.J., Pattie and Michael
10. “Trouble” – Delee and Brenda
11. “Love Me/Don’t” – Adrian and Pattie
12. “Fools Fall in Love” – B.J.
13. “Poison Ivy” – Ken with Adrian, Frederick and Victor
14. “Don Juan” – Brenda
15. “Shoppin’ For Clothes” – Victor and Frederick with Adrian, Ken and Victor
16. “I Keep Forgettin’” – Pattie
17. “On Broadway” – Adrian, Frederick, Ken and Victor
18. “D.W. Washburn” – Victor and the Company
19. “Saved” – B.J. and the Company
20. “Baby, That Is Rock & Roll” – The Company
21. “Yakety Yak” – The Company
22. “Charlie Brown” – The Company
23. “Stay A While” – Piano Player
24. “Pearl’s A Singer” – Pattie
25. “Teach Me How to Shimmy” – Michael and Delee with Adrian and Victor
26. “You’re The Boss” – Frederick and Brenda
27. “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” – The Company
28. “Loving You” – Ken and the Company
29. “Treat Me Nice” – Victor
30. “Hound Dog” – B.J.
31. “Little Egypt” – Frederick with Adrian, Ken, Michael and Victor
32. “I’m A Woman” – B.J., Brenda, Delee and Pattie
33. “There Goes My Baby” – Adrian with Frederick, Ken, Michael and Victor
34. “Love Potion #9” – Adrian with Frederick, Ken, Michael and Victor
35. “Some Cats Know” – Brenda
36. “Jailhouse Rock” – Michael and the Company
37. “Fools Fall in Love (Reprise)” – B.J.
38. “Spanish Harlem” – Ken and Brenda
39. “I (Who Have Nothing)” – Victor
40. “Neighbourhood (Reprise)” – Pattie
41. “Stand By Me” – Adrian and the Company
42. “Baby, That Is Rock & Roll” – The Company

Full Orchestration

1 Piano (Keyboard I)
1 Bass
1 Percussion
1 Saxophone (Tenor and Baritone)
1 Synthesizer (Keyboard II)
1 Drums
1 Guitar

  • Musical Style Pop/Rock
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
11 Libretto-Vocal Book
1 Keyboard 1-Conductor
1 Saxophone
1 Guitar
1 Keyboard 2
1 Drums
1 Percussion
1 Bass
1 Logo Pack
11 Libretto-Vocal Book
1 Keyboard 1-Conductor
1 Logo Pack
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Add-Ons

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Authors

Jerry Leiber

Jerry Leiber

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller began their songwriting partnership in 1950 upon discovering that they had the same passion for Boogie Woogie and the Blues. If they had written no other song but Hound Dog, the names of Leiber and Stoller would still have been indelibly written ...

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Mike Stoller

Mike Stoller

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller began their songwriting partnership in 1950 upon discovering that they had the same passion for Boogie Woogie and the Blues. If they had written no other song but Hound Dog, the names of Leiber and Stoller would still have been indelibly written ...

View full profile

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