Kevin Cahoon, Samantha Massell and More to Join Myles Frost in CHEZ JOEY at Arena Stage
The cast will feature Awa Sal Secka, Angela Hall and more.
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Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has revealed the principal cast for its Winter 2026 production of Chez Joey. Joining previously announced Tony Award winner Myles Frost (MJ the Musical) in the role of Joey Evans, Chez Joey will also star Awa Sal Secka (The Public Theater’s Goddess) as Linda English, Samantha Massell (Fiddler on the Roof) as Vera Simpson, Angela Hall (Black and Blue) as Lucille Wallace, and Tony nominee Kevin Cahoon (Shucked) as Melvin Snyder.
The year is 1940-something, and on the South Side of Chicago, the night scene is sizzling. Enter Joey Evans (Frost): an irresistible, slick-talking, velvet-voiced nightclub performer with dreams bigger than the bandstand. But in a city where the right connections mean everything, he finds himself caught between Linda (Secka), the bright-eyed chorus girl, and Vera (Massell), the wealthy baroness who can bankroll his big break—for a price. With no-nonsense club owner Lucille (Hall) and vaudeville-performer-turned-Chicago-social-insider Melvin (Cahoon) watching his every move, Joey’s got one choice to make: play it straight or risk it all for the spotlight.
Boasting a new book by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King), alongside fresh jazz arrangements of the legendary catalog of Broadway legends Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, this legendary tale of ambition, seduction, and survival is hotter than ever. This new production, choreographed by Tony Award winner Savion Glover (Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk) and co-directed by actor, director, and producer Tony Goldwyn (ABC’s Scandal) and Glover, will run January 30 – March 15, 2026, in Arena’s Kreeger Theater. Press Night will be held on Friday, February 13.
Including beloved Pal Joey standards like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “What is a Man?,” and “I Could Write a Book,” the score for Chez Joey expands to incorporate favorites from the 1957 film adaptation, such as “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and “The Lady Is a Tramp.” Rodgers and Hart fans can also expect classics like “My Funny Valentine,” “This Can’t Be Love,” and “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” among others. The full cast and creative team will be announced in January 2026.
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