Arena Stage Finalizes Casting for Smokey Joe's Café

Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage has announced the complete company of its upcoming production of Smokey Joe's Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller. The musical revue will be directed by Randy Johnson, who comes straight from his time at the helm of Broadway's A Night With Janis Joplin.

The cast features Tony Award winner Levi Kreis (Million Dollar Quartet), E. Faye Butler (Pullman Porter Blues), and Nova Y. Payton (Dreamgirls), along with D.C.-area performers Jay Adriel, Austin Colby, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Michael J. Mainwaring, Stephawn P. Stephens, and Kara-Tameika Watkins.

"Smokey Joe's Café is a foot-stomping celebration of Leiber and Stoller's treasured songbook," says Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. "I'm thrilled to welcome back our dear friend Randy Johnson and also the marvelously versatile cast he has assembled. I'm sure they will raise the roof in bringing these timeless tunes to life."

Smokey Joe's Café ran on Broadway for 2,036 performances. The show features hit songs from the writing duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller including "Stand by Me," "Love Potion #9," and "On Broadway."

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