Artist:Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens, Ken Ard, Victor Trent Cook
Song:On Broadway
Album:Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Lieber and Stoller
Jukebox musicals seem to be very popular on Broadway these days. They have been around in different forms for decades. But I guess the current definition is a tribute to a musical artist with no story. It's basically a series of musical numbers by an ensemble cast. There are no stars. The songs are the stars. Smokey Joe's Cafe is a tribute to the songs of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. It was successful on Broadway in the late 90s. The original cast album won a Grammy in 1997 and it was nominated for several Tonys but didn't win any. Smokey Joe's Cafe had a two month run in Los Angeles before premiering on Broadway in Mar. 1995. Jerry Zaks was the director with choreography by Joey McKneeley and vocal arrangements by Chapman Roberts. The show ran until 1999 and then toured. There have been several revivals, most recently in 2018. The original cast album was produced by Arif Mardin with Lieber and Stoller for Atlantic Records. The critics didn't like the show because it didn't have a story. Audiences didn't care and jukebox musicals are more common today. There were nine actors in the cast and none are well known. On Broadway is performed by Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens, Victor Trent Cook and Ken Ard. Today, Ard is a dance teacher and choreographer. Cook is in the vocal group Three Mo' Tenors. Bailey still appears on Broadway. Owens does video game acting like in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't know if anyone has become famous after appearing in a jukebox musical. But they sure are popular. Here's Devin Richards, Adrian Bailey, Frederick B. Owens and Victor Trent Cook performing On Broadway on The Today Show July 31, 1999. Richards replaced Ard in the show.
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