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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Chez Joey Also see Susan's review of The World to Come In 1940, composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart wrote a musical called Pal Joey, with a book by John O'Hara based on a series of stories he had written about a showbiz wannabe named Joey Evans. Co-directors Tony Goldwyn and Savion Glover–the latter also credited as choreographer and "orchestrologist"–have reimagined that musical and given it a high gloss as Chez Joey in the Kreeger Theater at Arena Stage in Washington, featuring a sharp new book by Richard LaGravenese and a top-level cast. While the original Pal Joey was a showcase for star dancers including Gene Kelly and Bob Fosse, Glover and his creative partners have broadened the focus from a single ambitious performer to the Black musical culture of the early 20th century. The setting (well designed by Derek McLane, with lots of detail and spaces for the actors to perform) is now a nightclub in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood in 1940, where the music is hot and Joey, as incarnated by Tony Award winner Myles Frost, is even hotter. Joey is driven to succeed, but he needs some help if he's going to leave the small time and become a personal brand. The plot journey follows his determination and, because he's a good-looking, sweet-talking man as well as a talented singer, women (especially if they have their own money) are the primary focus of his efforts. Lucille Wallace (regal Angela Hall) owns the club where Joey performs, so he has to cater to her until he can remedy that situation. Chorus girl Linda English (Awa Sal Secka, playing innocent but not naïve) is also ambitious but has no idea of what Joey is capable of. And then into the club comes Vera Simpson (Samantha Massell), a Chicago socialite married to an English aristocrat and Joey's key to finding an audience larger than the Black clientele who frequent Lucille's. The adaptation keeps the core Rodgers and Hart songs from the original score (Massell's incisive take on "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," Secka's sweet "I Could Write a Book") while interpolating numerous songs from the team's other musicals. Other highlights include Secka's sizzling version of "My Funny Valentine" and a bluesy take on "Sing for Your Supper." Frost has a boyish appeal that keeps the audience loving Joey even as they come to realize that he is not a nice person and his ambition eventually is going to destroy him. Kevin Cahoon adds to the humor as Melvin Snyder, a tart-tongued gossip columnist and Vera's friend. In keeping with the onstage theme, the six onstage musicians–Lafayette Harris Jr. on piano, Corey Rawls on drums, Daniel Bereket on trumpet, Nolan Nwachukwu on bass, Jalin Shiver on alto sax, and Alex de Lazzari on tenor sax–provide all the accompaniment and mood-setting music throughout (at this performance, Coby Petricone-Berg stepped in for Alex de Lazzari). Emilio Sosa has designed exquisite costumes for the entire cast, while Adam Honore's lighting design and Dan Moses Schreier's sound design help the audience follow what's happening onstage as well as what what's going on in the wings. Chez Joey runs through March 15, 2026, at Arena Stage, Mead Center for American Theater, Kreeger Theater, 1101 6th St. SW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org. Music by Richard Rodgers Choreographer and Orchestrologist: Savion Glover Cast: Musicians: |
