Photos: Sutton Foster, LaChanze & More Attend PAL JOEY Gala Performance at New York City Center

New York City Center's Pal Joey opened with a benefit performance last week and BroadwayWorld was there! 

The production just concluded its run on November 5, celebrating 80 years at the center or the arts. The cast was led by Brooks Ashmanskas (Melvin), Jeb Brown (Tony), Loretta Devine (Lucille), Aisha Jackson (Linda), Elizabeth Stanley (Vera), and Ephraim Sykes (Joey).

In this revival, reconceived by co-director and choreographer Savion Glover and co-director Tony Goldwyn, Joey Evans (Ephraim Sykes) is a Black jazz singer who refuses to compromise on his craft as he struggles to make it big on the Chicago nightclub circuit. With a new book by Richard LaGravenese and Daniel “Koa” Beaty, the production reimagines Linda English (Aisha Jackson) as a radio chanteuse trying to find her authentic voice, and Vera Simpson (Elizabeth Stanley) as a liberated white socialite following her passions. Rodgers and Hart classics like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Do It the Hard Way,” “I Could Write a Book,” and “That Terrific Rainbow” are joined by gems like “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” “Falling In Love With Love,” “My Heart Stood Still,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “This Funny World.”

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas