Arts in Review

 by Carol Davis      
                     ___________________

Songs of Leiber and Stoller delight
in Welk Theatre's Smokey Joe's Cafe

It’s got to be b’shert when two Jewish guys, one, Leiber, the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland who grew up on the ‘edge of Baltimore’s black ghetto’ and the other, Stoller, raised in Queens, learning the ‘basics of blues and boogie woogie from black kids at summer camp’ (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum) meet in Los Angeles in 1950. Their mutual love of boogie-woogie and rhythm and blues forms an immediate bond and they began writing. Both were 17 at the time. Leiber was the lyricist, Stoller wrote the music (he took piano lessons from Fats Waller’s mentor).

In 1953 they formed their own label, Spark, which later became the Coasters. That same year, they released Riot in Cell Block #9. Not only was it b’shert that they met, it was brilliant that they had the smarts to form their own label because Atlantic Records later signed them to the industry's first independent production deal. Not too bad for a couple of kids just getting their musical footings off the ground. Ultimately, they became one of the most influential songwriting teams in rock and roll history. (Smokey Joe’s Café official site)  

For those of you who think you might never have heard of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, you might recognize some of their music: How about Hound Dog? Oh, you thought Elvis write that one? Nope. And Stand By Me?, or There Goes My Baby?, or Jailhouse Rock, Fools Fall in Love, Yackety Yak,  Kansas City, On Broadway, Charlie Brown, Love Potion #9,  Spanish Harlem, (Leiber and Phil Spector) Dance with Me and I could go on and on. But, I’ll make it easy for you. Why not head up to the Welk Village Resort Theatre in Escondido and see and hear for yourself their time remembered works?

A composite of many of their popular and not so popular numbers, 39 in all, are showcased in  Smokey Joe’s Café. It  is  a musical tribute to Leiber and Stoller, and  has been on the musical theatre circuit now for years. The Welk Theatre is mounting it through May 20th. It’s  an enjoyable celebration of their works, and a pretty lively one at that.  The setup is simple. There are nine cast members, four guys and five gals all with strong voices and very distinct personalities. They are gathered around a stairwell connected to the face of a tenement building, circa 1950. (Nick Fouch)

The band is on stage up on a platform so you can see and hear them at the same time. The cast is casually dressed in 50’s outfits (Carlotta Malone) and they begin the show with Neighborhood, a little ditty  down memory lane for a look back at the neighborhood and some familiar pictures of families and friends of their past. From there the show takes off with each cast member pairing up with other cast members to go through the selection of songs, related or unrelated , but certainly some that you can remember from your own growing
up in the 50’ and 60’s days, or am I being presumptuous? Not to belabor a point, however, whether you are a product of the 50’s, 60’s, or 70’s you will recognize more of these songs than you think. Those were the days, my friends,  when you could understand all the words and most of them had a special meaning: Love lost; love regained; love learned; foolish love, silly in love, etc.

The revue is an entertaining diversion and the Welk  Theater pays it a lovely compliment with the talented cast comprised of Sandra Allen, Meloney Collins, Lawrence Cummings, Eugene Barry Hill, Ron Kellum, Kelly Provart, Mark Provart, Dominic Rambaran and Melissa Youngblood. They sing blues, rock ‘n roll, jazz, rhythm and blues, pop and cabaret. in other words, they do it all.  Under the direction of Sha Newman (he also choreographed) and musical director, Justin Gray the show hummed along gathering momentum in the second act, when the stage is converted to Smokey Joe’s Café. Yes, they had us clapping and even swaying to the music.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the excellent musicians: Justin Gray on keyboards, Ted Hughart on Bass, Mike Masessa on drums, Dennis Calplinger on guitar and Richard Mcguane on tenor sax. Carlotta Malone’s wide range of costumes gave almost every number a different look. And Jennifer Edwards-Northover’s lighting gave it all the atmosphere it needed.

In a program footnote it states that their songs provide the basis for an electrifying entertainment that illuminates a  golden age of American Culture. I’ll buy that.

For more information on the dinner package or just the show call (760)749-3448 or visit them on line at www.welktheatre.com

See you at the theatre.

(back to top)
                                         __________________