Singers of ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ Pull Out the Stops for Oldies

“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” wasn’t nearly as elaborate as other musicals of its Broadway season (which included “Sunset Boulevard” and the Harold Prince revival of “Show Boat”), but it had something they didn’t: staying power. By the time it closed Jan. 16 of this year, the feisty little rock ‘n’ roll revue had logged nearly five years and 2,036 performances to become the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history and the 19th longest-running show overall.

In large part, the show’s popularity can be attributed to its nostalgia quotient, as well as its straightforward entertainment values--qualities captured largely intact for Sunday’s pay-per-view presentation by the Broadway Television Network.

“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is a hit parade of ‘50s and ‘60s songs by lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller, a couple of Jewish guys who worked mostly in African American idioms to create such legendary tunes as “Hound Dog,” “Fools Fall in Love,” “Love Potion #9” and “Stand by Me.”

There’s no narration to provide further insight into their remarkable partnership, so the songs have to speak for themselves. Director Jerry Zaks and choreographer Joey McKneely present 40 tunes as mostly self-contained, often-comic vignettes--almost as if the songs are coming alive in the listener’s mind while cruising along a highway, tuned to an oldies station.

Captured here in letterbox format and surround sound are most of the original Broadway (and before that, Los Angeles) performers--Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey, Brenda Braxton, Victor Trent Cook, B.J. Crosby, DeLee Lively and Frederick B. Owens--plus Matt Bogart and Deb Lyons.

All are powerhouse singers, and they seem to have pulled out all the stops for this recording of the final Broadway performance.

In capturing the show for the screen, director Don Roy King--working with 11 high-definition cameras--does a good job of following the flow, as well as providing fun perspectives every now and again from just offstage.

Although the full-company numbers still sound too generic, the show’s highlights continue to include: Cook’s dead-on Elvis impersonation--vocal hiccups, raccoon-in-the-pants gyrations and all--for “Treat Me Nice,” followed by the no-nonsense Crosby putting him in his place with “Hound Dog”; the sultry ballet break in “Spanish Harlem”; the women’s proud roar through “I’m a Woman”; and the men’s Drifters/Coasters-like harmonies on such songs as “Dance With Me,” “Searchin’ ” and “Little Egypt.”

* “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” will be presented Sunday at 6 p.m. as a pay-per-view event. $24.95 per household; call your local cable provider for details.