Chez Joey, Kreeger Theatre, Arena Stage, Washington, DC

 

Myles Frost as Joey Evans and the Company in Chez Joey at Arena Stage. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

In my review of Arena Stage’s production of Damn Yankees (which has just been nominated for 13 Helen Hayes Awards), I quoted Sergio Trujillo, its director/choreographer, who called this re-working of the musical a “revisal.” Not “just” a revival of a classic musical, but with numerous revisions to bring it “up to date,” in a way that it would be more relatable to a contemporary audience. I was somewhat familiar with the source material and therefore aware of obvious changes, though I am sure I missed some of the more subtle ones.

Arena’s current production is Chez Joey, which I would also classify as a “revisal.” In this instance, the source material is Pal Joey, a 1940 musical that was the last collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. Hart is having something of a re-discovery, as the central character in the current film “Blue Moon,” featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Ethan Hawke as the urbane, sophisticated lyricist. The film takes place on the opening night of Oklahoma!, the first collaboration between Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers and Hammerstein reached heights Rodgers and Hart could only imagine: among them, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music.

Chez Joey is still set in 1940. We are in ”Bronzeville,” a Black neighborhood of Chicago, where a struggling jazz club called Lucille’s features a charismatic, talented singer/dancer, Joey Evans. Joey is something of a player, a charming rogue who has apparently succeeded in seducing all of the current women appearing at Lucille’s, with the exception of the club owner, Lucille Wallace, who once had a career of her own. Lucille has hired a new singer for the club, Linda English. Linda is a newly-single and independent woman who sees through Joey’s bravado and is determined not to be another of his conquests. Their mutual attraction, though, cannot be denied and, when Joey and Linda sing together, something magic happens: they create what Joey calls “The Sound.”

Awa Sal Secka as Linda English and Myles Frost as Joey Evans in Chez Joey. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

One night, a white entertainment writer brings his friend, a wealthy, married baroness to the club. They are the only white patrons present. Seeing the potential for the baroness, Vera, to invest in the struggling Lucille’s, Joey seduces Vera, who is at first uninterested, but then finds herself unable to resist. The two illicit lovers have an intense physical connection. Joey sees an opportunity and strikes a deal. Vera buys the club, renames it “Chez Joey,” and takes over its redecoration and management. But with one proviso: Vera bans Linda, who finds employment elsewhere.

Vera’s vision of the new club doesn’t match Joey’s: he wants to be true to himself and his own talent, while Vera hopes to attract a more upscale (read: white) audience. Ultimately, of course, the lovers split and Vera sells the club.

From what I have read, the original did not have the same kind of upbeat ending, perhaps one of the reasons that Pal Joey has never been considered commercially successful, despite a score full of memorable standards, including “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered.” (The last includes some especially risqué lyrics for the period.) For the Chez Joey score, some of the original Pal Joey songs have been cut, though it has also been augmented by Rodgers and Hart songs originally featured in other shows.

Angela Hall as Lucille Wallace with the company of Chez Joey at Arena Stage. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

Central to the success of this production is what would be a star-making performance by Myles Frost as the amoral Joey – if the Tony-winner (as Michael Jackson in the biographical musical MJ) had not already given that star-making performance. Frost is equally adept in all aspects as a triple-threat: acting, singing, and dancing. Because of Frost’s inherent charisma, Joey becomes a much more sympathetic character than written. The role of Joey was conceived for a dancer: Gene Kelly originated the role, which was later taken on in a 1963 Broadway revival by Bob Fosse.

In addition to Frost, the cast includes three knock-out performances by Awa Sal Secka as Linda, Samantha Massell as Vera, and Angela Hall as Lucille. I was first bowled over by Awa Sal Secka as Sarah in Signature Theatre’s 2023 production of Ragtime. She gives a no-holds-barred performance as a headstrong but principled chorine immune to Joey’s charms. Samantha Massell’s Vera is a sensual seductress, a somewhat jaded middle-aged woman who has no qualms about using her wealth to get Joey into her bed. (Both are probably equally seducer and seduced.) Angela Hall is indomitable as the somewhat world-weary nightclub proprietor Lucille, who has seen it all (including types like Joey and Vera) and who takes advantage of opportunities to remind us of what she could do before giving up the spotlight to run Lucille’s.

The performers on the stage include actor/musicians who function first as the “house band” at Lucille’s and the de-facto orchestra for the show: Lafayette Harris Jr. on piano, Corey Rawls on drums, Daniel Breket on trumpet, Nolan Nwahcuku on bass, Jalin Shiver on alto saxophone, and Alex De Lazzari on tenor saxophone. They are cleverly woven into the action as required.  

Myles Frost as Joey Taylor and Samantha Massell as Vera Simpson in Chez Joey at Arena Stage. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

The production is co-directed by actor Tony Goldwyn (best known for his role on TV’s “Scandal” and the current “Law and Order”) and Savion Glover. Glover is also listed in the program as choreographer and “orchestrologist.” (I’m not sure exactly what that entails, though I am guessing that he oversees the show’s orchestrations and perhaps musical direction. No musical director is credited, though Victor Gould is listed as musical supervisor.) Glover won a Tony for choreographing Broadway’s 1996 Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk, and is probably the best-known tap dancer and tap choreographer working today. Glover’s fingerprints (or tap steps) are all over this production, used not only as part of musical numbers, but also to punctuate certain sections of dialogue. Working effectively as a directing team, Goldwyn and Glover create a world in which breaking into song and/or dance seems a natural extension of the moment.

Charis Michelle Gullage, Kalen Robinson, Ndaya Dream Hoskins, Alana S. Thomas, and Brooke Taylor as entertainers at Lucille’s (and all veterans of Joey’s love ’em and leave ’em routines). Josh Johnson, Marcus John, Lamont Brown, and Addi Loving are each listed in the program as “Cat” and function as part of the jazz club’s ensemble. The nightclub entourage deserves special credit for executing Glover’s choreography with sharp precision.

Kevin Cahoon appears as Melvin, the entertainment writer who introduces Vera to Lucille’s. Although Cahoon is an amusing presence, the character seems to be just a prop to connect Vera and Joey and therefore set up the scandalous affair between them. His song, “I Like to Recognize the Tune,” is one of those numbers from another Rodgers and Hart show, Too Many Girls, which, while it provides a realistic response/complaint from some listeners to jazz in general, seems out of place with the rest of the score.

John O’Hara wrote short stories published in The New Yorker and was credited with the original “book” of the musical, though original director George Abbott contributed what I’m sure were significant revisions. Richard LaGravanese is credited with the “new book” (another argument for my “revisal” classification of the show). The major alterations from the original include turning Lucille’s (and subsequently Chez Joey’s) into a Black-oriented nightclub, adding an interracial context to Joey’s relationship with Vera (which certainly would have mattered in 1940 Chicago), as well as something of a softening of Joey’s rakishness and hint of a happy ending to come at the end of the show.

Lucille's transformed: Myles Frost and the Company in Chez Joey at Arena Stage. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

As usual at Arena Stage, the physical production is impressive. Derek McLane’s set design fills the Kreeger stage (almost too much), first as Lucille’s then transforming to a strikingly new, more sophisticated look as Chez Joey’s. Emilio Sosa’s versatile costume designs more than fill the bill for the period and characters (including a stunning red gown for Linda at the end of the play). Adam Honoré’s lighting design suits the locales, especially the two versions of the club. Significant contributions are also contributed by Dan Moses Schrier’s sound design, and the wig and hair design by J. Jared Janas.

This Chez Joey may find a life beyond Arena, where it continues through March 15. Don’t miss this: the songs you know and love may bring you in, but the electrifying performances will seal the deal.