Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge's superb revival of this title at the Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace is the first production I've seen to effectively theatricalize this material, and thus greatly deepen the emotional impact of the show. And it achieves something yet more distinctive by explicitly focusing on Leiber and Stoller as rhythm-and-blues composers."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...No doubt about it. With its songbook of 39 pop standards - rock and roll and rhythm-and-blues classics by the astonishing hit-making team of the 1950s and '60 comprised of lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller - "Smokey Joe's Cafe" is awash in one of the great scores of the 20th century. And it should come as no surprise to learn that the show, which opened in New York in 1995, became the longest running musical revue in Broadway history."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...Drury Lane's production could very well set the standard by which future revivals of this show are judged, and that includes a rumored return to Broadway after a 16-year absence."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...he result is a glorious evening of live music videos, populated with pop icons and stock figures from 50s and 60s pop culture. It helps that she packs the cast with powerful triple threats who know how to find something new in old chestnuts like "On Broadway," "Jailhouse Rock," and "Love Potion #9." Keirsten Hodgens, in particular, really blows the roof off the joint."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...It is always refreshing to see musical theater and walk out of the theater with a smile on your face and feeling good. It is especially gratifying when the entire experience is wonderful from beginning to end. All of this is true with Oak Brook’s Drury Lane Theatre production of Smokey Joe’s Cafe."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Take you family to see this nostalgic musical revue of early rock, R &B and blues hits that shaped a generation. Everyone will have fun toe-tapping and clapping to the infectious tunes. The showmanship and quality performances will stun you! You'd be hard pressed to see a stronger cast that is one -their skills and sheer energy will impress you. Good time abound at Smokey Joe's Cafe."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...There are some musicals that are NOT classified as plays or musical comedies but in fact are more reviews, in which the music of one particular artists or in fact several can become a two- hour story based on the music that was written. One of these entertainment productions, as I call them, is "Smokey Joe's Cafe" . This showcase of the music of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller ( some 40 songs) has been around for some years and most recently was a solid smash hit in the intimate TheoUbique production in Rogers Park, that moved around from theater to theater. Now, under the clever direction and choreography of Marcia Milgrom Dodge, on the much larger stage of Drury Lane in Oakbrook, we are given a true concert with a small story that allows us to hear the music of these men as powerful pieces."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This wonderful evening of music and memories is a cool way to enjoy these last warm Summer nights. Most audience members will revel in the nostalgia created by hearing some of their favorite songs from the 50’s and 60’s, and every theatergoer will find it hard to resist the urge to stay in his seat while enjoying such rousing hits as “Yakety Yak,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Poison Ivy” and “I’m a Woman.” With the amount of unbridled talent found rockin’ on this stage, Drury Lane has once again shown itself to be a leader among Chicagoland’s professional entertainment, in a production that should not be missed."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...When I first entered the theater I looked at he clutter of the Maxwell Street setting the feared the show would be overproduced. Not to worry. The melding of Leiber and Stoller's compositions, the brilliance of the cast, and Marcia Milgrom Dodge's fresh and innovative exploration of the material meld into two hours of unblemished delight."
NewCity Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...In order to make connections that wouldn't otherwise exist, Dodge gives names to the characters who sing these songs. At best, these connections play out like little vignettes. It's almost like watching live music videos where a story is encapsulated in the three to five minutes of a number. However it doesn't really stretch beyond that."
