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Smokey Joes Cafe

Ken Ard (Actor), Adrian Bailey (Actor), Don Roy King (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: VHS Tape
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Amazon.ca

You know that rock & roll has staying power when it can survive even the homogenization that comes from being performed on Broadway. So it is with this live performance of a Broadway revue that celebrated the music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, one of the finest songwriting teams ever to have hits with Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, the Drifters, the Coasters, and everyone else who mattered in the early days of rock. Everything from "Hound Dog" to "Charlie Brown," from "I'm a Woman" to "On Broadway" is included in this video recording of the Broadway hit. But despite energetic performances by a cast of five men and four women, there's little of the raw and plenty of the preprocessed in a show that wouldn't be out of place in a Las Vegas showroom. They're still great songs--and even these slick performances can't diminish that. --Marshall Fine

From the Back Cover

Smokey Joe's Cafe arrives "Direct from Broadway" for another thrilling performance! Relive rock's glory days as the Tony Award-nominated Broadway smash brings down the house with 39 chart-toppers by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriting duo Leiber and Stoller. The original cast recording of Smokey Joe's Cafe also received a Grammy Award. From "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" all the way to "Spanish Harlem" and "Kansas City," the greatest tunes of the '50s and '60s come alive in a high-energy performance that celebrates first kisses and last dances, cool songs, and red-hot rock and roll! Starring the original Tony Award-nominated Broadway cast. 103 minutes.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo! Great way to capture this show's musical magic! Nov 30 2003
By M. Joachim
Format:DVD
Usually I would complain that all these productions wait too long to film their shows. However, this DVD is of the last performance in which they brought back the original cast!

The singing talent in this show is excellent, particularly in the males. Each song is sung flawlessly with harmonies and orchestrations that, in my opinion, are improvements on the original songs and translate effectively to the stage.

Although most of the dancing is done in the first act, it is very fun to watch, hard to emulate and successfully executed.

The show was filmed in front of a live audience and filmed well, there is never any problem with not being able to see an actor on stage, nor is there a problem with people being upstaged. (Unless you want to include one person in the audience who couldn't help but standing up and applauding with their arms above their head).

The only problem I was able to notice was that the cast did seem slightly out of practice. To be more specific: In the song "On Broadway" there were problems establishing a beat as the five males in the song were trying to slow down the song in order to perform the dance steps. Also, "Poison Ivy" was, in a word, rushed.

But, overall, it is undeniable that this is probably the best recorded Broadway musical and it is a rarity to catch a show in its original cast. Also, this is rarely, if ever, on television, I would definately recommend buying it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Baby, THIS is Rock 'n' Roll! Nov 6 2003
By Jon Hennington
Format:DVD
Rarely does a Broadway show get recorded in it's entirety, and even more rarely does this produce a good representation of what was seen live in the theatre. Smokey Joe's Cafe is about as good as it gets. As the longest running review in B'way history, Smokey Joe's Cafe brought back nearly all of it's original cast to perform for the last few weeks. I was in the audience for one of those magical last performances, and though this DVD can capture the electricity in the Virginia Theatre, it's still one amazing show! You'll love every second and you'll probably find yourself dancing in your living room when no one else is looking! Buy this DVD, if you love great music, you'll LOVE IT!
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4.0 out of 5 stars Celine Dion sings Wanda Jackson Aug 28 2003
By SeaWasp
Format:DVD
I think it was Little Richard who said: "You cannot put a tuxedo on the funky blues!" Well, put a tuxedo on it they do. This is slick...really slick. And these folks can sing and dance but even though the music is fantastic, there is something missing here. It's the raw edge that the original recordings had. But hey, it's a Broadway show so what do you expect. And even though the performances of these classic rock & roll gems are polished (and some even verge on parody), it sure beats anything that Andrew Lloyd Webber could come up with. The DVD has cast bios and interviews (more like a 30 second comment from each cast member), a short page on Lieber and Stoller and not much else.
The music transcends all the nonsense but purists will find themselves wincing in their seats. The rest will have a good time.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars smokey joe's cafe
this is a great musical for all children of ages and people of all ages i rented this from the library
Published on Aug 12 2003 by andykaplan
5.0 out of 5 stars smokey joe's cafe
this is a great musical for all children of ages and people of all ages i rented this from the library
Published on Aug 12 2003 by andykaplan
2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Like the Originals
GREAT songs, of course. But why listen to this when you can still find the originals, which reverberate with the spontaneity, passion, and outright JOY that pop music is supposed... Read more
Published on April 26 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars I Never Tire of It!
... I started checking Amazon every couple of months for the DVD version and was thrilled to find it available. We've watched it several times. Read more
Published on Mar 19 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars so much talent!
Nine very talented artist, where do they come from? Certainly, not "American Idol". Here are the real stars, those who have put in the time and energy to refine their... Read more
Published on Feb 11 2003 by Michael Phillips
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not good enough
I must confess that I was disappointed with the show. The songs were sung theatrically, rather than in a pop idiom, which (for me) certainly diminished the impact of Leiber and... Read more
Published on Dec 28 2002 by Mr A D Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest ever!
There is a reason why this show was one of the longest running on Broadway - and the dvd proves it. From the boys' cheeky 'Young Blood' to DeeLee and Brenda's raunchy... Read more
Published on Feb 23 2002 by MissLnyc
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Really amazing, i love it from A to Z, the cast is wonderful, the band is big, and the songs are beautiful. A must to have...
Published on Jan 22 2002 by Celeghin Andrea
5.0 out of 5 stars Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay!
When I bought this DVD I knew very little about the show. I popped it in that night and was fixated on the tv for the next two hours. This show is so much fun. Read more
Published on Jan 20 2002 by James R. Daniels
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow what a stunner!
This Dvd should be in every Rock N Roll fans collectionfrom the opening number..gets your a tapping. Read more
Published on Jan 17 2002 by Mr. D. S. Strachan
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