Theater Review: "Ain't Misbehavin'" at Westport Country Playhouse

By Nancy Sasso Janis

The Westport Country Playhouse has opened their 93rd Season with “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical.” This reimagined vision of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” a co-production with Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York, is directed and choreographed by Jeffrey L. Page and continues through April 29.

Five talented actors and a jazzy on-stage seven-piece band, wonderfully led by Music Director Terry Bogart on piano, present this sassy and sultry musical celebration. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” was the winner of the 1978 Tony Award® for Best Musical.

“Fats Waller was not only a musical genius—he also deployed humor to covertly speak truth to power structures,” wrote Page, an Emmy-nominated director and choreographer. “Like the court jester, Waller packs the voice and celebration of Black people, as protest, within the intricacies of his music.”

“I am also interested in looking at this collection of Waller’s works as one would a finely curated art exhibit,” Page added. “The curated musical pieces artfully tell a story of Waller’s protest through his mask of humor.” This explanation helped me to understand why some of the cringe-worthy comedic numbers were included.

At a Sunday Symposium following the matinee I attended, the director spoke with original cast member André De Shields and current cast member Jay Copeland. De Shields disputed characterizing this show as a musical revue, preferring to call it a narrative, with each musical number a miniature play. The original Manhattan Theatre Club’s cabaret production was a “huge experiment” that he called a “miracle musical,” a musical anthology that is a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance, when Jazz was being born and everyone wanted to experience its joy.

Featuring the toe-tapping tunes of Thomas “Fats” Waller, this work tells how Waller rose to international fame during the Golden Age of legendary night spots like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom, with his jazz, blues, and swing music of the 1920s.

This is not quite a biography, but it evokes the delightful humor and infectious energy of this American original as the multi-talented cast dances and sings the songs that Waller made famous. His career ranged from uptown clubs to Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood and concert stages in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

More photos of opening night

DeShields spoke of the “3 e’s” that this repertoire is intended to accomplish: to energize, enlighten, and entertain, as well as provide insight into a vibrant time in American history and music. The score of 30 songs includes “Honeysuckle Rose,” “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do,” “This Joint Is Jumpin’,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” and the title theme.

The five-member Equity cast features a contestant from “X Factor” and “The Voice” and two finalists from “American Idol.” Among the women, Miya Bass, a contestant on “The Voice,” uses her wonderful voice to perform her solos.

Paris Bennett, who was a top-five finalist on season five of “American Idol,” has a lovely stage presence. Judith Franklin, who appeared in Broadway’s “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” and “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” is another triple threat.

Copeland, 24, was a top-seven finalist and first-ever Platinum Ticket recipient on last year’s “American Idol.” Will Stone, who worked in off-Broadway’s “Plays for the Plague Year,” has a charming stage presence that serves him well in the production.

Raul Abrego is credited with the stunning, piano-inspired scenic design that the matinee audience was allowed to photograph in order to share it on social media before the first act began. The costume design of Oana Botez is authentic, flattering and wonderfully easy to dance in, with impressive add-on pieces for the second act. Philip Rosenberg was in charge of very good lighting design and Leon Rothenberg’s sound design worked well all around.

The play is recommended for ages 12 and up. Running time is approximately two hours with one intermission. westportplayhouse.org/visit/box-office/.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.