Cheap Smokey Joe's Cafe - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of Smokey Joe's Cafe - The Songs of Leiber and Stoller

Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay!
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.

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Celine Dion sings Wanda Jackson
I think it was Little Richard who said: "You cannot put a tuxedo on the funky blues!" Well, put a tuxedo on it they do. This is slick...really slick. And these folks can sing and dance but even though the music is fantastic, there is something missing here. It's the raw edge that the original recordings had. But hey, it's a Broadway show so what do you expect. And even though the performances of these classic rock & roll gems are polished (and some even verge on parody), it sure beats anything that Andrew Lloyd Webber could come up with. The DVD has cast bios and interviews (more like a 30 second comment from each cast member), a short page on Lieber and Stoller and not much else.
The music transcends all the nonsense but purists will find themselves wincing in their seats. The rest will have a good time.

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Bravo! Great way to capture this show's musical magic!
Usually I would complain that all these productions wait too long to film their shows. However, this DVD is of the last performance in which they brought back the original cast!

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.