Smokey Joe's Cafe Royal George Theatre Chicago

There are some who declare that Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote the Rock-and-Roll songbook—or the first few chapters, at least—but nobody guessed that an evening of top-40 songs dating from the mid-20th century would prove so popular that Theo Ubique would be turning away customers after a run of nearly three months. Granted, the award-winning company has forged its reputation on intimate shows in the very intimate No Exit Café, with the performers waiting tables between acts, but eventually the time came when, with the help of commercial producers SJCChicago, Smokey Joe's Café moved to bigger quarters.

A transfer from one location to another always calls for some reconfiguration, but it's a big jump from a humble off-the-alley Rogers Park storefront to the ritzy near-north Royal George Theatre's cabaret room. How did director-choreographer Brenda Didier and her cast adjust to their new home?

"The [Royal George] cabaret is a small space, too," Didier reminds us, "The smallest movement is tricky because every detail can be clearly seen from every direction. Re-staging the show was not unlike what we did in the No Exit—we trimmed, cleaned and simplified so that the big moments really pop!"

In the close confines of a Glenwood Avenue coffeehouse, even with no artificial amplification, too much volume risks overwhelming playgoers sitting barely two feet away, but at the Royal George, many of the classically-trained vocalists surprised even their co-stars with the magnitude of their lung power. Vasily Deris, whose bravura rendition of the Ben E. King/Tom Jones hit "I, Who Have Nothing" stops the show every night, comments, "We definitely had to hold back [at the No Exit], but the Royal George is still cozy enough for us to connect with our audiences. It's easier for us to dance down the aisles right out into the house."

Exposed brick walls can blur the sound in many auditoriums, but precautions have been taken for this show, says Deris, "We have hanging mikes to pick up the sound. Also Brenda and [associate director] Steve Hiltebrandt sat in all the different parts of the theater during rehearsals to make sure that everybody could hear everything."

The cast doesn't have to shlep plates and drinks during intermission now. What's that like backstage? "At the Royal George, we have a backstage! And a dressing room with plenty of bathrooms, so by the time we've changed into our costumes for the second act, Rachael [Holiday], our amazing stage manager, is already calling us for places. Since Act One ends with the upbeat gospel-tune 'Saved' and Act Two opens with a medley of 'Baby, That's Rock and Roll,' 'Yakety Yak' and 'Charlie Brown,' the whole show is nonstop high-energy from start to finish!"

Has the move to a more accessible facility, with nearby parking and restaurants, made for different audience demographics than the show attracted on the far north side? Observes SJCChicago executive producer Jim Jensen, "We're seeing quite a few families—baby boomers bringing their children and grandchildren. This music may be associated with a particular generation, but I think the vitality and enthusiasm of a talented young cast performing these classic rock-and-roll songs is the key to the production's broad appeal."

Smokey Joe's Café runs at the Royal George through May 26.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer