The final performance of Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history, was recorded live at Broadway's Virginia Theatre featuring the original Tony Award-nominated cast in a non-stop celebration of more than 40 songs that provided the soundtrack to the lives of a generation of Americans. Incredibly, they were all the work of a single songwriting team, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, whose extraordinary list of hits includings "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog," "Treat Me Nice," "Stand by Me," "Spanish Harlem," and appropriately, "On Broadway."

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The singing talent in this show is excellent, particularly in the males. Each song is sung flawlessly with harmonies and orchestrations that, in my opinion, are improvements on the original songs and translate effectively to the stage.

Although most of the dancing is done in the first act, it is very fun to watch, hard to emulate and successfully executed.

The show was filmed in front of a live audience and filmed well, there is never any problem with not being able to see an actor on stage, nor is there a problem with people being upstaged. (Unless you want to include one person in the audience who couldn't help but standing up and applauding with their arms above their head).

The only problem I was able to notice was that the cast did seem slightly out of practice. To be more specific: In the song "On Broadway" there were problems establishing a beat as the five males in the song were trying to slow down the song in order to perform the dance steps. Also, "Poison Ivy" was, in a word, rushed.

But, overall, it is undeniable that this is probably the best recorded Broadway musical and it is a rarity to catch a show in its original cast. Also, this is rarely, if ever, on television, I would definately recommend buying it.

22 of 22 found the following review helpful:

Baby, THIS is Rock 'n' Roll!Nov 06, 2003
By Jon Hennington
Rarely does a Broadway show get recorded in it's entirety, and even more rarely does this produce a good representation of what was seen live in the theatre. Smokey Joe's Cafe is about as good as it gets. As the longest running review in B'way history, Smokey Joe's Cafe brought back nearly all of it's original cast to perform for the last few weeks. I was in the audience for one of those magical last performances, and though this DVD can capture the electricity in the Virginia Theatre, it's still one amazing show! You'll love every second and you'll probably find yourself dancing in your living room when no one else is looking! Buy this DVD, if you love great music, you'll LOVE IT!

17 of 17 found the following review helpful:

The greatest ever!Feb 23, 2002
By MissLnyc
There is a reason why this show was one of the longest running on Broadway - and the dvd proves it. From the boys' cheeky 'Young Blood' to DeeLee and Brenda's raunchy 'Trouble'....the crowd pleasing 'On Broadway' to Matt and DeeLee shakin' it up in 'Teach Me How To Shimmy'....BJ and Victor hamming it up in 'Treat Me Nice' and the ball-breakin' 'Hound Dog' to the emotive 'Stand By Me' finale - the cast just nails every song brilliantly. Only downfall is perhaps the bonus features - over time this show has played host to many guest stars such as Rick Springfield, Gloria Gaynor and Gladys Knight, each bringing something wonderful as they were slotted into their roles - it would have been nice to perhaps see some highlights such as Rick's 'Jailhouse Rock' or Gladys and the girls tearing the roof off the house with 'Kansas City'.
Still, an awesome show that every stage-lover MUST have in the collection!

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay!Jan 21, 2002
By James R. Daniels "recent_styx_fan"
When I bought this DVD I knew very little about the show. I popped it in that night and was fixated on the tv for the next two hours. This show is so much fun. This music is great and the performance are impeccable. I have never seen a more talented ensemble cast and never before have I seen a cast look like they're having so much fun on stage. Victor Trent Cook and B.J. Crosby steal the show with their powerhouse voices and humorous antics. Do yourself a favor and buy Smokey Joe's Cafe. You won't be dissapointed.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

I Never Tire of It!Mar 19, 2003

... I started checking Amazon every couple of months for the DVD version and was thrilled to find it available. We've watched it several times. The sound is excellent, the stars are vibrant and it's a totally uplifting experience. ... If you love rock 'n roll, you must have this DVD!

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