By Deirdre Parker Smith
dp1@salisburypost.com
If you don’t tap a toe or clap your hands at some point during “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” you must be in a coma.
Piedmont Players production of this musical revue is graced with fine voices, a good band and some serious shimmying.
All the songs, well, with one exception, are by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and you will not believe how many of their songs have been hits in the last 50 years. You’ll know “Young Blood,” “Fools Fall in Love,” “I Keep Forgettin’,” “On Broadway,” and that’s just the first act.
In the second you’ll hear “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown,” “Hound Dog” “I’m a Woman,” “Stand By Me” and other songs made famous by everyone from Elvis to George Benson.
That makes for a fun evening right there.
The cast is top-notch, featuring such Piedmont veterans as Alexis Greer, Tara Van Geons, Michelle Fleshman-Cross and two performers from the children’s production, “Alladin, Jr.,” Terry Brockington and Tommie Estes.
Brockington, as the program suggests, is extremely flexible and looks like he’s having fun. Estes shines in “Stand By Me” with a haunting voice.
Greer has a big, beautiful voice and earned the most applause opening night. She lights up the stage.
Fleshman-Cross has a great voice, too, and she was the instigator of the shimmying. Wow.
Van Geons does a fabulous job with “Pearl’s a Singer” and “I Keep Forgettin’.”
Gayla Luckey, a newcomer, has fun in “Don Juan” and “Some Cats Know” and has a promising voice.
The other guys, Tony Crawford, Bradley Padavick and Kevin Reese, put out great performances, too. Crawford has a deep baritone/bass voice often used in ensemble numbers, but really brings “Little Egypt” to life. A professional wrestler, he’s definitely got the moves.
Reese excels in “Spanish Harlem” and is strong in all the ensemble numbers.
Padavick learns to shimmy and he’s got the Elvis leg moves down pat.
In the orchestra (this is a band) are Mike Austin, Graham Carlton, Alex Council, Reese Manceaux and Virgie Taylor, having a very good time.
Choreographer Jennifer Perrell kept everyone moving, with plenty of flashy numbers and classic steps.
Director Reid Leonard knows the public loves a musical and this one will appeal to people of all ages ó even the kids, who might have listened to their parents’ (or grandparents’) music.
With a 20-minute intermission, the show is under two hours.
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller,” underwritten by Wachovia and Cloninger Ford-Toyota-Scion, continues at the Meroney Theatre tonight and Saturday and April 1-4 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2:30 p.m. matinee this Sunday. For tickets, call 704-633-5471.