Legendary pop singer Ben E. King will once again join the cast of Broadway's hit Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller revue, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Dec. 15-27.

King, who helped make Leiber and Stoller's "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" famous, previously guest starred in the revue for a week in June. He will sing his two hits in the revue.

King will stand with eight of the original nine cast member from the hit show, which passed the 1,500 performance mark this fall.

Original cast performers DeeLee Lively, Brenda Braxton, Pattie Darcy Jones, B.J. Crosby, Victor Trent Cook, Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey and Frederick B. Owens, plus Jerry Tellier, will all be in their Smokey Joe's home for the holidays. Michael Park, of the original cast, is currently performing in the Roundabout Theatre's Little Me.

King began his career in the '50s, becoming lead singer of the vocal group The Drifters before going solo in 1960. He is one of the original interpreters of Leiber and Stoller's material, including "There Goes My Baby" (with The Drifters), "I (Who Have Nothing)," and others. Jerry Zaks directed this revue, which opened March 2, 1995 to mixed notices from critics. The show quickly became an audience favorite, and its continued success is a textbook example of the power of word-of mouth.

Joey McKneely designed choreography for the nine-person ensemble cast. Some of the Leiber & Stoller songs featured are: "Kansas City," "Searchin'," "On Broadway," "I'm A Woman," "Poison Ivy," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," "Jailhouse Rock" and "Hound Dog."

For more information on Smokey Joe's Cafe at the Virginia Theatre call (212) 239-6200 or check out their website at http:\\smokeyjoescafe.com.

-- By Kenneth Jones
and Robert Simonson