Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"... The appeal of the piece is not some kind of conceptual brilliance or illuminating narrative frame (oh no) but the dizzying number and variety of songs that this pair wrote, most with hooks that could reach halfway across Chicago to reel in their catches. Unlike, say, single-composer revues of Broadway or American songbook fare, where fans tend to know what they are about to get, "Smokey Joe's" celebrates a prolific pair of songwriters who are not necessarily linked with all their songs, which transcended genre and were usually associated more with the singers thereof than the writers."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...There is so much sassy talent generating so much rock ’n’ roll heat in the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre production of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller” that it might just be worth issuing this warning to the long-running and similarly rock-fueled show, “Million Dollar Quartet”: After all these years, you’ve finally got some genuine competition."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...There are no frills on this tribute to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the writing team responsible for early rock classics like "Hound Dog" and "Stand by Me." No unifying theme, no dialogue, and no real plot—just 40-odd songs from the 1950s and '60s, presented in quick succession, often with one flowing into the next. But the cast bring a dazzling energy to Brenda Didier's staging for Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"... Once again Theo Ubique shines at what it does best: presenting polished musicals while introducing new, exciting and talented performers to Chicago audiences. A revue is challenging because, beyond the songs, it doesn’t offer much with which to work. Too often they’re simply retrospectives of a composer’s tunes offering little or no plot. But Brenda Didier, the show’s effervescently talented director/choreographer, works hard to keep this from becoming a cabaret of disconnected songs by bookending the show with the composers’ most nostalgic piece, “Neighborhood.” Enhanced by Adam Veness‘ homey, period bar setting, complete with walls lined with photos and a juke box, the No Exit Cafe magically becomes a museum of framed memories."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Director and choreographer Brenda Didier’s production highlights the inherent theatricality of 1950s rock & roll and R&B hits with subtle, relaxed staging, a vocally suave crew of energetic fresh faces and—thanks to the 1995 revue’s plotless format—not much else, save for a cozy, jazzy club set by Adam Veness. Powerhouse Robin K. Dasilva’s tent-revival “Saved” musters all the giddiness of an 11 o’clock number, and the ensemble-wide “Stand By Me” achieves a touching, honest intimacy only possible in a space like Ubique’s No Exit Cafe. The actors, easily on the short list of up-and-comers in Chicago musical theater, have talent to fill a bigger stage; audiences who enjoy them here first will consider themselves spoiled."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"... The revue underscores just how much fun those early years of rock ‘n’ roll really were. The Leiber/Stoller songbook is toe tapping and their lyrics crackle with wit. The music wasn’t worried about social significance. The team wanted to entertain and give singers some showcase opportunities to raise the rafters."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"... This fast-paced two hour revue is a non-stop songfest that has enough well performed classic rock, pop and R & B to please. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatrehas the formula down as how to mount musical revues. In this show, director/choreographer Brenda Didier has the cast doing movement and dance routines thatwork effectively on her intimate stage at the No Exit Cafe. The harmonies and the blended vocal arrangements together with the outstanding musical arrangements by Jeremy Ramey on pianowith his three musicians, gave the show a strong acumen. The music blended with but never over powers the singers. A Theo Ubique trademark finds no amplification of the singers or the musicians yet all can be heardwith terrific enunciation. These ten performers demonstrate their talents and we get to hear the songbook of two relatively unheralded composers. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s tunes come alive in this fun revue. Smokey Joe’s Cafe ranks as one of the best revues yet mountedby Theo Ubique.Get to No Exit Cafe to experience a terrific cast singing their hearts out. You’ll have fun."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... If you are seeking a fun evening of “Cabaret” and hearing some sterling voices sing some wonderful and nostalic music, TheoUbique’s “Smoky Joe’s Cafe” is the place to be..."
