ELISA PETERSEN / Courier & Press
Christopher Tyner, director for Civic Theatre's
"Smokey Joe's Cafe," demonstrates
some dance moves during a rehearsal.
Evansville Civic Theatre's production of "Smokey Joe's Cafe"
is a showcase production in a couple of ways.
First, it's a remarkable parade of pop and rock hits by the
legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
Second, it's a testament to the local talent performing in
Evansville's oldest community theater company.
Director/choreographer Christopher P. Tyner's and music
director Sue Schriber's nine-member cast rocked, rollicked,
crooned, clowned, railed and wailed through some of the most
memorable jukebox fare of the 1950s and 1960s in Friday's
two-hour opening performance, which played to an enthusiastic
audience of 203.
Gliding through a nearly seamless series of costume and set
changes, the show's five men and four women sell the songs with
polished vocal skills, some impressive moves and plenty of
expressive theatrics.
An announcement notes Tyner and Schriber's cameo duet in
"Stay Awhile." Otherwise, "Smokey Joe's Cafe" is a
straight-ahead revue, without lead-ins, biographical background
or narration linking the songs historically or thematically.
It features scores of songs made classics by the Coasters,
the Drifters, the Searchers, the Isley Brothers, Ben E. King,
Willie Harrison, Maria Muldaur, Aretha Franklin, Big Mama
Thornton, Elvis and Dion.
The choreography, staging and vocal presentation emphasize
the sensuality in some songs, raw emotions of others, and the
innocent and not-so-innocent silliness of others. The show
brings Zach Bryant, Alicia Christian, Seth Duncan, Jenny
Freeman, Troy Rhinefort, Cheryl Ann Sanders, Justin Sears, John
Wenzel and April Underhill together in ensemble pieces and lets
each shine in featured spots.
Even so, there are some especially notable individual
performances.
Christian's big, brassy rendition of "Hound Dog" takes the
song back to its bluesy roots.
Bryant is a hoot as the cowering object of Christian's
railing in this song about a cur of a boyfriend, sponging off
his woman. He's just as funny as the crowing cock in "Treat Me
Right," but he wrings pain from a show-stopping performance of
"I (Who Have Nothing)."
Sanders' soaring voice rings with sexy, saucy attitude in
"Some Cats Know," performed with Seth Duncan, and "Don Juan,"
for which she recruits a man from the audience to wrap her pink
boa around.
Sears and Freeman are the show's standout dancers, and Sears'
honeyed voice brings just the right flavor to "Spanish Harlem."
