“SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE” – OPENS APRIL 27 AT FIREHOUSE
Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre Presents Hit-filled Musical
PLEASANTON, Calif. — Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre at the Firehouse Arts Center announces their next big musical theater production, and it’s a whopper. Smokey Joe’s Cafe is a 50’s rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm ‘n’ blues feast, featuring 39 of the greatest old-school by the iconic duo Leiber and Stoller. The revue-style production uses the music as inspiration for some great theater bits: the players act out classic storylines, including love imagined, love lost, love won, along with a variety of hilarious slice-of-life scenes.
Songwriting and record-producing partners Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote the music that defined the 50’s golden era of American pop music. Their tracks topped the charts 70-plus times during that decade. They wrote much of Elvis’ repertoire, including “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock.” Ground-breaking songs like “Yakety Yak” used the street vernacular of teenagers at the time. The pair are also responsible for “On Broadway”, “Spanish Harlem”, and so many more.
Smokey Joe’s Café originally opened on Broadway in 1995, and the Original Cast Album won the Grammy in 1997. Throughout its run, there was a tradition of special appearances by many popular singers, which have included Gladys Knight, Tony Orlando, Lou Rawls, Gloria Gaynor, and Rick Springfield.
Opening night: Saturday, April 27, 8:00 p.m. at the Firehouse Arts Center Theater in downtown Pleasanton. Free parking is available in the center’s lot off Spring Street.
Show times: April 27 through May 12, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday’s at 2:00 p.m., plus two Saturday matinees added due to popular demand on May 4 and May 11.
Reserved seating tickets are $19 – $41. Tickets online at www.firehousearts.org, by calling 925-931-4848, and in person at the Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, in downtown Pleasanton. Box Office hours are Wednesday – Friday 12:00 noon-6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and two hours prior to performances if not sold out.
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Smokey Joe’s Café: The Music of Leiber and Stoller. Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre at the Firehouse Arts Center in downtown Pleasanton. April 27 through May 12: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays and some Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Revue-style musical theatre romp through the 50’s golden era of rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm ‘n’ blues, and pop music. Includes 39 chart-topping hits by Leiber and Stoller. Reserved seating tickets $19 – $41. Tickets available at www.firehousearts.org, 925-931-4848, or at the center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, in downtown Pleasanton.
The Firehouse Arts Center is owned and operated by the City of Pleasanton, and dedicated to inspiring passion through the arts. The center is comprised of the 227-seat Firehouse Theater, the 2000 square foot Harrington Gallery, classrooms and rehearsal space, the grand atrium lobby, and the famous interior glass bridge. With world-class performing and visual arts, exciting interactive programs for all ages, and a state-of-the-art venue which opened in 2010, we combine the sophistication of the culturally rich Bay Area arts landscape with the hospitality and intimacy of our own home town. The Firehouse Arts Center is located at 4444 Railroad Avenue in downtown Pleasanton.
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