First published: 27 Jul 2010

West End regular Melanie La Barrie has joined the cast of Smokey Joe’s Café, which has extended its run at the Landor theatre to 12 September. It had been due to finish on 12 August.

La Barrie is a familiar face on the London stage having played Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables, Pearl in Daddy Cool and Mrs Corry in Mary Poppins, as well as roles in Rue Magique at the King’s Head and Once On This Island at the Hackney Empire.

In joining jukebox musical Smokey Joe’s Café she replaces 80s disco diva Kym Mazelle, who gave her final performance in the musical on Sunday. La Barrie joins Steph Fearon, a finalist in the recent BBC casting programme Over The Rainbow.

Leiber and Stoller’s show Smokey Joe’s Café showcases 39 classic pop, rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues tunes written by the duo including Jailhouse Rock, Fools Fall In Love, Keep On Rollin’ and Loving You.

La Barrie is not the only musical theatre regular to make the journey south of the river; the Clapham fringe venue has also announced a new production of Richard Maltby and David Shire’s Closer Than Ever, which runs from 14 September to 9 October.

Clare Burt (Coram Boy at the National Theatre), Michael Cahill (Martin Guerre, Les Misérables), Ria Jones (The Witches Of Eastwick, Acorn Antiques) and Glyn Kerslake (Sunset Boulevard, The Phantom Of The Opera) will appear in this musical revue of 25 songs which put the spotlight on lives and loves, relationships and fantasies.

CB