Bigfork Summer Playhouse kicks off summer season
Smokey Joe's Cafe
The Bigfork Summer Playhouse will kick off its 56th season this weekend with “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.”
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” opens on Friday, May 15, at 8 p.m. Performances continue May 16, 22-23 and 29-30 and June 10, 13, 16, 18, 22 and 27. All performances begin at 8 p.m. at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, 526 Electric Ave., in Bigfork.
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is a musical revue by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, showcasing more than 30 pop standards, rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues songs. The show originally opened on Broadway in 1995 and ran for 2,036 performances, making it the longest running musical revue in Broadway history.
Songs include “Neighborhood,” “Young Blood,” “Dance With Me,” “Kansas City,” “Trouble,” “Don Juan,” “I Keep Forgettin’,” “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown,” “On Broadway,” “You’re the Boss,” “Hound Dog,” “Little Egypt” and “I’m a Woman.”
The original Broadway cast recording, “Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs Of Leiber And Stoller,” won a Grammy award in 1996.
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is a family-friendly show appropriate for all ages.
Tickets for the May performances of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” are $26 for adults, $22 for seniors 65 and older and $17 for children 10 and younger.
Tickets are available now online at www.bigforksummerplayhouse.com or at the Playhouse Box Office at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, open Monday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. through the summer season.
"SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE" is just the beginning for the Bigfork Summer Playhouse season. Other shows this summer will include “Man of La Mancha,” opening June 6 and running through Aug. 20; “The Addams Family,” opening June 9 and running through Aug. 21; “Annie,” opening June 23 and running through Aug. 19; “Footloose,” opening July 7 and running through Aug. 22; and “Hits from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s,” opening Aug. 27 and running through Sept. 5.
Tickets prices and showtimes vary with each show. Visit www.bigforksummerplayhouse.com for a full schedule and pricing information.
The Bigfork Summer Playhouse, known as the “Theatre by the Bay,” is a past recipient of the Montana Governor’s Award for the Arts. The Playhouse now also has an Oscar winner among its alumni: J.K. Simmons won the award earlier this year for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of jazz instructor Fletcher in “Whiplash.” Simmons attended the University of Montana and spent seven seasons performing with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse.
Every summer the Playhouse, headed by Don and Jude Thomson, recruits Broadway-caliber actors and singers from across the United States and brings them to Bigfork for a season of repertory theatre performances. According to the Playhouse website, this season’s cast includes Brittany Ambler, Colleen Campbell, Kayla Boye, Paige Mason, Yael Reich, Kaitlin Sacco, Tasha Tormey, Kelly Ufford, Ali Valentine, Christopher Calderazzo, David Brumfield, Andy Burns, Jonathan Chisolm, Trevor Dorner, Christopher Furrer, Casey Leach, David Leppert, Jacob Major, Jacob Sefcak and Charlie Tingen. Musicians include Ian Leroy, Alexander McDowell, Marc McDuff, Sean McKay and Brach Thomson.
For more information, visit bigforksummerplayhouse.com or call 406-837-4886.
Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.