'Smokey Joe's' hot with hits

Jim Kershner - Staff writer

Sure, many of us were aware that the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller had plenty of hits.

But after seeing "Smokey Joe's Cafe," we can be excused for thinking these two guys practically invented American pop music in the 1950s and 1960s.

And in some ways, they did.

The proof is in just about every minute of "Smokey Joe's Cafe," a revue of 40 Leiber & Stoller tunes.

They wrote raunchy blues growlers ("Hound Dog"), beautiful romantic ballads ("Spanish Harlem"), goofy novelty songs ("Charlie Brown"), street-corner soul ("There Goes My Baby") and jazzy story songs ("On Broadway").

And this doesn't even come close to encompassing the versatility of their catalog. For instance, there's also a little thing called rock 'n' roll ("Kansas City" and "Jailhouse Rock").

This Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre production is generally up to the job of presenting the many moods of Leiber & Stoller. Director Bob Sembiante's cast of five men and four women doesn't merely sing in a variety of styles; it also plays a variety of characters.

Sometimes these characters are part of story songs, such as Madame Rue in "Love Potion No. 9," portrayed with deadpan aplomb by the marvelous Frank Jewett. Sometimes they are the stars of novelty numbers, such as the shimmying dynamo of "Teach Me How to Shimmy," played with delicious rat-a-tat energy by Kelly Moore. And sometimes, they are incarnations of particular artists, such as the crazy-legged Elvis of "Jailhouse Rock," sung and danced to perfection by Steve Booth.

Booth deserves particular mention because he appears to be the complete package. This UNLV student (and CdA native) makes dancing look easy. Vocally he slips easily from rock to soul to sweet harmony, and his version of the Tom Jones torch song/male weeper "I (Who Have Nothing)" was probably the best-sung number of the entire evening.

And believe me, that's saying a lot.

Among the women, I particularly loved Thara Cooper, who wrapped herself in a feather boa and reveled in some of the show's sultriest numbers. I've seen her before as the sweet Maria Von Trapp, but here she was more like a naughty Mae West, if only Mae West could sing.

Miss LeeLee (Aletha Everette) blew the roof off the joint with the gospel rouser "Saved" and with a version of "Hound Dog" with the original, raunchier lyrics.

All of the women, including Moore and Taryn Darr, combined on the estrogen-fueled anthem to female empowerment, "I'm A Woman," which includes the line: "I can make a dress out of feedin' sacks and make a man out of you."

But the men had more than their share of big moments, since most of Leiber & Stoller's songs were written for male groups such as the Coasters and the Drifters.

David Jackson, a Broadway veteran with loads of talent and a natural stage presence, was particularly impressive. Bertram Johnson hit all of the low notes in the Coasters tunes, and Harry Turpin had a number of fine moments. Jewett handled many of the comic roles, such as the drunk in "D.W. Washburn" (an old Monkees song, of all things), yet he's more than a clown. He can really sing.

Their voices blend beautifully on the closing number, a little something you'll recognize from the opening bass line: the Ben E. King classic, "Stand By Me."

Yeah. Leiber & Stoller wrote that, too.