15 Aug 2007

Baby, That is Rock & Roll: "Smokey Joe's Café," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through August 19

By Mike Schulz

Smokey Joe's Cafe ensemble members The difficulty in reviewing Smokey's Joe's Café, the Timber Lake Playhouse's season-closing musical, doesn't lie in knowing how to start, but when to stop. A plotless assemblage of '50s and '60s rock & roll hits, bluesy love songs, and novelty tunes by composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, this jukebox revue finds its nine-person cast performing nearly three dozen numbers, and based on their presentation here, I could make a fair case for devoting 500 words to each of them.

20 Dec 2006

A Look Ahead to Area Theatre in 2007

By Mike Schulz

(Titles and dates are subject to change.)

Augustana College: Dead Man Walking (February), The Vagina Monologues (February), Festival of Short Plays (February), Stuff Happens (April). (http://www.augustana.edu/academics/theatre/department)

03 Feb 2004

A Musical Journey Through the Past: "Smokey Joe's Cafe" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse

By Jill Walsh

Hey you cats, listen up. I saw a show at Circa '21 that's hoppin' and swingin' - like being inside a jukebox. Smokey Joe's Café is where all the cool Daddy-O's and neighborhood gals are dancing to music from the days of the zoot suit up to 1960s love songs. If you're expecting a plot line, a bit of spoken dialogue, you kids won't get it. This musical revue is purely fun. It involves no setup or explanation, and simply celebrates music from days gone by.

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