'Smokey Joe's Café' cast will rock and roll all night
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

Arnaldo Ortiz, of Parsippany, is one of the cast members who will be singing and dancing to rock and roll favorites in the Marlboro Players production of "Smokey Joe's Café."

MARLBORO - Smoking hot performances will be served up when the Marlboro Players perform"Smokey Joe's Café" at the Marlboro Middle School, Route 520, on April 25-26 and May 2-3 at 8 p.m., and on April 27 at 3 p.m.

"Smokey Joe's Café" is the longest running musical revue in the history of Broadway. The show opened on Broadway in 1995 and was nominated for seven Tony awards. The show won a Grammy award for Best Musical ShowAlbum in 1996.

"Smokey Joe's Café" pays tribute to classic rock and roll songs that were written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

The revolution in popular music began when Elvis Presley's recording of Leiber and Stoller's song "Hound Dog" smoked up the charts in 1956. The hits for the duo kept coming with "Yakety Yak," "Poison Ivy," "Charlie Brown," "On Broadway," "Kansas City," "Jailhouse Rock," "Love PotionNo. 9," "Stand by Me" and many more.

Steve Zucker, one of the show's producers, explained that the decision to present "Smokey Joe's Café" was made in part because of the show's uniqueness. He dubbed the show a sleeper hit.

Director and choreographer David Pacheco loves the show and said he saw it nine times on Broadway.

Taking elements from the original choreography andmixing a bit of his own style into it, Pacheco has created a fun style to match the songs. "Smokey Joe's Café" is Pacheco's third production with the Marlboro Players.

Khy Garner is making his debut with theMarlboro Players as the show'smusical director.Having worked as amusical director for 20 years, Garner said he was excited to be working on "Smokey Joe's Café" because it is a show he has never worked on before.

Five of the show's nine cast members were on hand at rehearsal and shared some tips on how they keep their voices sounding great. With a lot of rehearsals and nonstop singing on her schedule, Ali Gleason, of Lacey, said she carries a singing emergency kit that is packed with honey packets, a special type of tea and a throat spray.

Gleason said she came on board with this show after Garner, who is her voice teacher, told her about auditions.

Shellia Marie Telo said she, too, heard about the production through word of mouth. Telo, a resident of Plainsboro, just finished working with Pacheco.

The two young women agreed that the best part of the show is the people who are involved.

"Everyone is so talented," Telo said.

"It feels like we're just going to hang out with friends," Gleason said about the rehearsals.

Themusic of the show is one of its greatest appeals to castmember Letitia Townes, of Freehold. She said it is always great when the audience is familiar with the songs. This is Townes' first production with the Marlboro Players, but she has previously worked with Pacheco and Garner.

Arnaldo Ortiz is the man the producers were searching for. He said he received a call from another cast member informing him that the producers of "Smokey Joe's Café" were looking for someone with his exact looks and vocals. Ortiz has been traveling toMarlboro fromParsippany for every rehearsal and will do the same for every show.

Jessica Talerico, of Manalapan, had recently seen "Smokey Joe's Café" when she received an e-mail about the upcoming production. Talerico, who has been a member of theMarlboro Players for some time, said the music and the era it came from attracted her to audition for the musical review.

The cast also features Brandon Contreras, Matt Morales, William Michael Morgan and Bryan Murray.

There will be a special senior Sunday price at the April 27 show with tickets for $10. General ticket prices are $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors in advance. If purchased at the door add an additional $2 per ticket.

Tickets can be purchased at Cards for Less in the Marlboro Plaza Shopping Center, Route 9 north, Marlboro. For more information, group rates or to order tickets by phone, contact the Marlboro Players at (732) 972-7217 or at www.marlboroplayers. com.