Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has announced tickets are on sale for Chez Joey. A vibrant new take on the musical inspired by John O’Hara’s ‘Pal Joey’ stories for The New Yorker, Chez Joey brings a complete book revision by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King) and a curated selection of brand-new arrangements from the legendary catalog of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart to a 21st-century audience. Centering a similar slick-talking, velvet-voiced songster, this tale of ambition, seduction, and survival is hotter than ever. Co-directed by Tony Award-winning choreographer Savion Glover (Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk) and actor, director, and producer Tony Goldwyn (ABC’s Scandal), Chez Joey will run January 30 – March 15, 2026, in the Kreeger Theater. For information and tickets, visit arenastage.org/joey.
“We were deeply inspired by John O’Hara’s original ‘Pal Joey’ stories, first published in the 1930s, which became the basis for our Chez Joey,” said Goldwyn. “Richard LaGravenese has given us a new take on Joey Evans’s story — the ambition, the romance of an uncompromising artist — with stunning choreography from my co-director, the incomparable Savion Glover, who has also created groundbreaking arrangements of our timeless Rodgers and Hart score. We are so thrilled to introduce Arena audiences to Chez Joey this January.”
Set on the South Side of 1940s Chicago, the stakes are high, the music is hotter, and the game of romance and ambition never sounded so good. Enter Joey Evans. A silver-tongued nightclub performer with dreams bigger than the bandstand. But in a city where the right connections mean everything, he finds himself caught between a bright-eyed chorus girl and the wealthy widow who can bankroll his big break — for a price. As the lights dim and the music swells, Joey’s got a choice to make: play it straight or gamble it all for a shot at the spotlight.
“To build Chez Joey with this phenomenal creative team is to create a work that pulses with energy, innovation, and the heartbeat of possibility,” said Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif. “Together, we’re breathing new life into a classic, layering in the vibrancy of jazz to create a production that feels both timeless and electric.”
In addition to reintroducing beloved standards like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “What is a Man?,” and “I Could Write a Book” to a new generation, the score for Chez Joey expands to include 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 “This Can’t Be Love,” “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” and “Blue Moon,” among others.
The full creative team and cast will be announced later this year.
Chez Joey runs January 30 – March 15, 2026, in the Kreeger Theater at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC 20024. Tickets start at $49, and are available at arenastage.org. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 202-488-3300, Tuesday-Sunday, 12-8 p.m., or in person through the Arena Stage Sales Office two hours before a performance.
Ticket prices and availability are subject to change. Arena Stage’s many savings programs include “pay your age” tickets for those aged 35 and under; military, first responder, and educator discounts; student discounts; and “Southwest Nights” for those living and working in the District’s Southwest neighborhood. To learn more, visit arenastage.org/savings-programs.
ABOUT ARENA STAGE
The first racially integrated theater in our nation’s capital and a pioneer of the regional theater movement, Arena Stage was founded in 1950 in Washington, DC. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep, and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and groundbreaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Consistently contributing to the American theatrical lexicon by commissioning and developing new plays, Arena Stage impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement and serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000.
