Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show
Richard Maltby, Jr. & Murray Horwitz (Book)
Luther Henderson (Musical Adaptations, Orchestrations & Arrangements)
Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory
Maybe we do not get musical confirmation until the last and fifteenth song of Act One that “this joint is jumping;” but there is no doubt as the cast of five first strut and sway their way onto the nightclub setting singing “I’m saving my love for you” that yeah, tonight, “I mean this joint is really jumping.” Audience toes will tap, heads will bob, and smiles will reign galore as song after song once recorded by renown jazz singer/pianist, composer, and all-around entertainer Fats Waller explode in electrifying, exciting, non-stop sequence. Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory welcomes back its patrons after a long, COVID pause with a dazzling night of the 1978 multi-Tony-Award-winning Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show (Richard Maltby, Jr. & Murray Horwitz, book; Luther Henderson, musical adaptations, orchestrations, and arrangements). The evening becomes one big celebration of the 1920s/30s era of the Harlem Renaissance, of Waller’s famed “piano swing” style, and of the early days of American Jazz.
Please proceed to the link on Talkin’ Broadway to read the rest of my review.
Rating: 4.5 E
Ain’t Misbehaving continues through March 27, 2022 in production by Hillbarn Theatre and Conservatory at 1285 East Hillsdale Boulevard, Foster City, CA. Tickets are available online at www.hillbarntheatre.org or by calling 650-349-6411.
Photo Credit: Mark and Tracy Photos
