Welcome back to my 'And the Tony Almost Went to...' series, where I take a deep dive into a show that was the (likely) runner-up in the Best Musical race of any previous Tony Awards year. Today, we'll be taking a look back at 1995.
Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue that showcases 39 pop standards, including rock and roll and rhythm and blues hits written by the legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller. Each tune is presented by various members of the cast in various combinations with no dialogue. The songs include novelty numbers such as 'Charlie Brown,' romantic ballads such as 'Spanish Harlem,' and infectious melodies such as 'There Goes My Baby.'
This project was initially conceived by Stephen Helper, Jack Viertel, and Otis Sallid. The variety of different songs they worked with gave them enough emotional and musical colors to create a satisfying theatrical experience. Four-time Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks was at the helm. After having started out as a dancer in Starlight Express, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and the first revival of She Loves Me, Joey McKneely earned his first main stem credit as choreographer.
After having its out-of-town tryout in Los Angeles, Smokey Joe's Cafe opened on March 2nd, 1995 at the Virginia (now August Wilson) Theatre on Broadway. The original cast included Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey, Brenda Braxton, Victor Trent Cook, B.J. Crosby, Pattie Darcy Jones, DeLee Lively, Frederick B. Owens, and Michael Park.
The production received 7 Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Victor Trent Cook), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Brenda Braxton; B.J. Crosby; DeLee Lively), Best Direction of a Musical (Jerry Zaks), and Best Choreography (Joey McKneely).
The show wasn't a hit with critics upon opening. Yet when it kicked off the telecast that year, it started ranking in more than $1,000,000 a week, eventually becoming a commercial success. When it came winning Tonys, it failed to do so as the big winner that season was...
This project was initially conceived by Stephen Helper, Jack Viertel, and Otis Sallid. The variety of different songs they worked with gave them enough emotional and musical colors to create a satisfying theatrical experience. Four-time Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks was at the helm. After having started out as a dancer in Starlight Express, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and the first revival of She Loves Me, Joey McKneely earned his first main stem credit as choreographer.
After having its out-of-town tryout in Los Angeles, Smokey Joe's Cafe opened on March 2nd, 1995 at the Virginia (now August Wilson) Theatre on Broadway. The original cast included Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey, Brenda Braxton, Victor Trent Cook, B.J. Crosby, Pattie Darcy Jones, DeLee Lively, Frederick B. Owens, and Michael Park.
The production received 7 Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Victor Trent Cook), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Brenda Braxton; B.J. Crosby; DeLee Lively), Best Direction of a Musical (Jerry Zaks), and Best Choreography (Joey McKneely).
The show wasn't a hit with critics upon opening. Yet when it kicked off the telecast that year, it started ranking in more than $1,000,000 a week, eventually becoming a commercial success. When it came winning Tonys, it failed to do so as the big winner that season was...
Why Didn't Smokey Joe's Cafe Win?: First, let me say that this has to be the easiest year to determine a runner-up yet. Why you may ask? Because the 1994-95 Broadway season only saw two new musicals open on the main stem. In fact, the New York Times' Tony voter survey mentioned that there was a general disappointment with the musical productions that year. With Sunset Boulevard and the Hal Prince-helmed revival of Show Boat competing separately, no one was happy about both of them easily winning their respective categories. There was also a feeling that had they gone head-to-head in one category, Show Boat could've easily won.
The latter was seen as a landmark production of Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II's 1927 classic. Meanwhile, Sunset Boulevard came in with a lot of press for various reasons. It was adapted from Billy Wilder's 1950 Academy Award-winning film by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton. When the musical originally debuted in London with Patti LuPone in the coveted role of Norma Desmond, reviews were mixed. Many especially felt that it lacked the sting of the original movie. For the American premiere in Los Angeles, it featured a whole new cast (including Glenn Close as Norma) as well as revisions to the book and score. It proved to be more successful with critics and audiences.
As for the Broadway production, LuPone was actually promised to star in that following the London run. Yet when Frank Rich reviewed the latter for the New York Times, he found her to be "miscast and unmoving" in the role. Meanwhile, most critics who caught the show during its L.A. run were in thrall of Close's supreme over-the-top portrayal. By the time Sunset Boulevard started performances in New York, it was with the latter as Norma. Yet a very pissed off Patti LuPone sued Andrew Lloyd Webber and received a reported settlement of $1,000,000.
Prior to the Tonys, the Times forecasted that Sunset Boulevard would win, adding that "You can't topple it with a rock-and-roll revue, or argue with a sellout." The show ended up winning 7 awards for Best Musical, Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Glenn Close), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (George Hearn), Best Book of a Musical (Don Black & Christopher Hampton)*, Best Original Score (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, & Christopher Hampton), Best Lighting Design (Andrew Bridge), and Best Scenic Design (John Napier). As Vincent Canby later commented in the Times, "Awards don't really tell you much when the competition is feeble or simply non-existent, as was the case the year that Sunset Boulevard won its Tony."
*Since Smokey Joe's Cafe was a revue, it wasn't eligible for either category. Thus, Sunset Boulevard won with no competition. Just goes to show how even in the 1990s, having a completely original score mattered more than utilizing a pre-existing song catalogue.
As for how both shows fared in the long run, Smokey Joe's Cafe closed on January 16th, 2000 after 2,036 performances, becoming the longest-running revue in Broadway history. The original cast recording went on to win the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. In the years since, the show itself has gone on to be produced in London, Off-Broadway, and at various regional theaters.
As for Sunset Boulevard, when Glenn Close ended her run the month after the Tonys, Betty Buckley took over for her Norma. Next in line was legendary West End star Elaine Paige making her Broadway debut a year later. The production eventually closed at a monumental loss on March 22nd, 1997 after 977 performances. Since then, the musical itself hasn't had the best reputation in the world. A key reason for that is because aside from both of Norma's big solo numbers, 'With One Look' and 'As If We Never Said Goodbye,' the rest of the score has never been considered top tier work from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Although Sunset Boulevard has been revived on Broadway twice within the last 10 years. In 2017 with Close once again in the starring role, only this time with more minimal scenery and backed by an onstage 40-piece orchestra. In the fall of 2024, a brand new production with more stripped-down film noir style staging directed by Jamie Lloyd starring Nicole Scherzinger came to New York. Longtime detractors felt that it was the best presentation that show has received yet. It went on to do well at the 2025 Tonys by winning 3 awards (including Best Musical Revival).
The latter was seen as a landmark production of Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II's 1927 classic. Meanwhile, Sunset Boulevard came in with a lot of press for various reasons. It was adapted from Billy Wilder's 1950 Academy Award-winning film by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton. When the musical originally debuted in London with Patti LuPone in the coveted role of Norma Desmond, reviews were mixed. Many especially felt that it lacked the sting of the original movie. For the American premiere in Los Angeles, it featured a whole new cast (including Glenn Close as Norma) as well as revisions to the book and score. It proved to be more successful with critics and audiences.
As for the Broadway production, LuPone was actually promised to star in that following the London run. Yet when Frank Rich reviewed the latter for the New York Times, he found her to be "miscast and unmoving" in the role. Meanwhile, most critics who caught the show during its L.A. run were in thrall of Close's supreme over-the-top portrayal. By the time Sunset Boulevard started performances in New York, it was with the latter as Norma. Yet a very pissed off Patti LuPone sued Andrew Lloyd Webber and received a reported settlement of $1,000,000.
Prior to the Tonys, the Times forecasted that Sunset Boulevard would win, adding that "You can't topple it with a rock-and-roll revue, or argue with a sellout." The show ended up winning 7 awards for Best Musical, Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Glenn Close), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (George Hearn), Best Book of a Musical (Don Black & Christopher Hampton)*, Best Original Score (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, & Christopher Hampton), Best Lighting Design (Andrew Bridge), and Best Scenic Design (John Napier). As Vincent Canby later commented in the Times, "Awards don't really tell you much when the competition is feeble or simply non-existent, as was the case the year that Sunset Boulevard won its Tony."
*Since Smokey Joe's Cafe was a revue, it wasn't eligible for either category. Thus, Sunset Boulevard won with no competition. Just goes to show how even in the 1990s, having a completely original score mattered more than utilizing a pre-existing song catalogue.
As for how both shows fared in the long run, Smokey Joe's Cafe closed on January 16th, 2000 after 2,036 performances, becoming the longest-running revue in Broadway history. The original cast recording went on to win the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. In the years since, the show itself has gone on to be produced in London, Off-Broadway, and at various regional theaters.
As for Sunset Boulevard, when Glenn Close ended her run the month after the Tonys, Betty Buckley took over for her Norma. Next in line was legendary West End star Elaine Paige making her Broadway debut a year later. The production eventually closed at a monumental loss on March 22nd, 1997 after 977 performances. Since then, the musical itself hasn't had the best reputation in the world. A key reason for that is because aside from both of Norma's big solo numbers, 'With One Look' and 'As If We Never Said Goodbye,' the rest of the score has never been considered top tier work from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Although Sunset Boulevard has been revived on Broadway twice within the last 10 years. In 2017 with Close once again in the starring role, only this time with more minimal scenery and backed by an onstage 40-piece orchestra. In the fall of 2024, a brand new production with more stripped-down film noir style staging directed by Jamie Lloyd starring Nicole Scherzinger came to New York. Longtime detractors felt that it was the best presentation that show has received yet. It went on to do well at the 2025 Tonys by winning 3 awards (including Best Musical Revival).