When Theatre Palisades debuts director Lew Hauser’s production of ‘Smokey Joe’s Caf’: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller’ tomorrow night at the Pierson Playhouse, it won’t be a musical in the traditional sense. ‘It’s a musical revue,’ says Martha Hunter, who co-produced the Theater Palisades’ version with Shirley Churgin. ‘There’s no dialogue, it’s not a play. ‘Smokey Joe’s’ opened in Los Angeles in 1994 and went to Broadway and was a big hit. I saw it at Harrod’s in Tahoe about 10 years ago. I went to see it and it was fabulous. Every song is a knock-out.’ With good reason. Essentially, ‘Smokey Joe’s’ fuses a loose narrative around nostalgia for the 1950s and 1960s loaded with hit songs by the legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They include tunes popularized by Elvis Presley and the Coasters and other chart-toppers, such as ‘Hound Dog,’ ‘Yakety Yak,’ ‘Charlie Brown,’ ‘On Broadway,’ and ‘Stand by Me.’ ‘Everyone will sing along, I’m sure!’ Hunter says, adding that Theatre Palisades decided on ‘Smokey Joe’s’ because a 2006 staging of ‘Buddy,’ based on the life and music of pioneer rocker Buddy Holly, ‘was a huge success. I think because of the baby boomers in the area. They came and it was fabulous.’ Returning to direct Theatre Palisades’ annual musical production is Hauser. ‘Lew has been directing musicals in our theater for 20 years or more,’ Hunter says. Hauser directed the last two musicals for Theatre Palisades, ‘The Boyfriend’ and last year’s ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.’ ‘I’m in the double digits,’ director Lew Hauser tells the Palisadian-Post, smiling, regarding the number of times he’s mounted shows at the Pierson. ‘But this was a specialty revue, which is a whole different animal from a musical play. You have to stage numbers as well. It’s quite a challenge. You have to get the right voices as well.’ Hauser is quick to credit his ‘Smokey’s’ co-director and choreographer, Victoria Miller. ‘This requires the work of a choreographer more than anything else,’ Hauser says. He also singles out Brian Murphy, his musical director. And then there are, of course, the singers themselves. A Pacific Palisades resident of 11 years, actress Michelle Tuthill has always had a funny relationship with ‘Smokey Joe’s,’ even if it can largely be associated with rejection. ‘I have always wanted to do ‘Smokey Joe’s and the funny thing is, I was up for it on Broadway and at the final callback, it was down to me and five other girls,’ she says. ‘Then I auditioned for the L.A. production and it was down to five girls and I didn’t get the role.’ The polished singer/actress, who has toured for the USO with the Michelle Tuthill Rock ‘n Soul Review, appeared on Broadway and on such TV variety shows as ‘Star Search,’ noticed that they were now casting for a ‘Smokey Joe’s’ production near her home, on Sunset near PCH, which she shares with her boyfriend and two cats. ‘It’s literally two minutes from my house,’ Tuthill says. ‘You can’t beat that!’ Ironically, Tuthill did not land her role, one of nine parts, because she lives in Pacific Palisades. In fact, Theatre Palisades had some bad luck with casting, which turned out to be Tuthill’s stroke of fortune. ‘They couldn’t find the person for this part. They kept auditioning and Brian Murphy happened to put it on Craigslist. It was like divine guidance.’ Third time appears to be the charm for Tuthill, who will finally get her lead part in the Theatre Palisades version. ‘They said if they hadn’t cast me that night they would’ve scrapped the show,’ Tuthill says. ‘I’ve been jonesing to do this show! I can’t wait!’ Also involved in this production is supervisor Ann Major. ‘She wanted to get more involved with our theater and volunteered to do our costumes,’ Hunter says. Major, who has four children with cinematographer Gil Hubbs, has been a Palisadian since 1987. The seasoned costumer has worked on such television series as ‘General Hospital’ and the first season of ‘Hannah Montana.’ Major decided to give a local stage show a try. ‘My husband and I are both believers in giving back to the community,’ Major says. ‘And it’s fun, I love what I do. It’s a period piece. We’re trying to set it in the late 1950s/early 1960s. It’s a challenge with the budget, but it’s coming together pretty well. The idea is to give it a flavor of the era, to enhance the songs because it’s really about the singing and dancing.’ ‘I’m very impressed with the cast,’ Major says. ‘They’re all extremely talented.’ ‘We have an incredible cast,’ Hauser says. ‘We spent three weeks casting the show and they were worth the wait.’ ‘Smokey Joe’s Caf’ plays through July 19. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets: Friday and Sunday, adults, $20, seniors and students, $18; Saturday, adults, $22, seniors and students $20. Contact: 310- 454-1970 or visit www.theatrepalisades.org
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