Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show,
playing through June 22 at Le Petit Theatre
Photo by Ashley Lorraine Photography
Winner of the 1978 Tony Award® for Best Musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show, is both a fun and deeply moving celebration of the legendary Fats Waller, the master of the stride piano.
Conceived by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ was first produced on Broadway in 1978 starring Irene Cara (Fame) and Nell Carter (Gimme a Break!). It features several of Waller’s more than 400 copyrighted songs, many written in collaboration with lyricists Andy Razaf and Harry Brooks.
The multi-talented cast (they sing, they dance, they act, they flirt) includes, in alphabetical order, Danielle Edinburgh Wilson, Rahim Glaspy, Jarrell Hamilton. Donald Jones-Bordenave and Kadejah Onē. All were born and/or were schooled in New Orleans. Each has an amazing voice and a charisma that jumps off the stage. They delivered their numbers with both light wit and deep emotion. Along with the title song, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” tunes include, “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness if I Do,” “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “Mean to Me,” “The Jitterbug Waltz,” “The Viper’s Drag,” “Fat and Greasy,” “Black and Blue” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”
According to Le Petit Theatre Artistic Director A.J. Allegra, “Ain’t Misbehavin’ is the perfect New Orleans musical. It is a collection of some of the catchiest jazz music paired with Fats Waller’s sly lyrics, whose blush-worthy double entendres are just the right mixture of naughty and nice. What a wonderful way to spend a June night in New Orleans’ French Quarter.”
Ain’t Misbehavin’ runs through June 22. For a complete list of credits and to buy tickets, visit lepetittheatre.com
Fascinating fact: Waller once said that he was kidnapped in Chicago in 1926. Apparently, four gangsters nabbed him while leaving a performance and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone where a party was taking place. With a gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano and told to play. It didn’t take long for Waller to realize he was the “surprise guest” at Capone’s birthday party and that the mugs had no intention of killing him.
