Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a five-person tribute to Fats, featuring songs composed and/or performed by Waller, and it’s been produced by countless theaters over the past 45 years. In this iteration at the Great Lakes Theater, a talented Black cast under the direction and choreography of Gerry McIntyre give it their all and the result is mixed.
In the rather short (40 minutes) first act, McIntyre and music director William Knowles seem intent on featuring high energy over any other performance characteristic. And since there is virtually no dialogue or character development, with one song butted-up against the next, there is no space for the actors or the audience to pause and catch their breath. The result is a bit of a musical blur as each song is pushed to its limit in terms of volume, then given a big finish that doesn’t always seem entirely deserved.
Indeed, songs such as “The Joint Is Jumpin'”and the title song require such treatment, but that hyper approach feels out of place for many of the other songs, such as “Honeysuckle Rose” and “The Ladies Who Sing with the Band.” By hammering all the songs into a similar pace and intensity, Act One of AM at times feels like a sonic mugging.
But then, after the intermission, everything calms down a bit and the performers are given room to explore the lyrics and great melodies using their acting talents as well as their powerful voices. In “Viper’s Drag/The Reefer Song,” Tyrick Wiltez Jones is snaky and slow as he revels in the ganja while dreaming of a “reefer five feet long.”
The three women in the cast—Colleen Longshaw, Jessie Cope Miller and Brittney Mack—each have their own moments in which they can strut their stuff. Although large and agile David Robbins looks the part of Fats, he isn’t. That “role” goes to the thin Knowles, who plays the upright piano on stage.
Aside from that visual confusion, most of the songs in Act Two work well, such as “Lounging at the Waldorf” and “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now.” The one song that can usually be relied on to generate some laughs, “Your Feet’s Too Big,” loses some of its oomph when a female audience member is brought on stage and musically assailed for her supposedly large pedal extremities. Even if that woman is a plant, the audience feels a bit queasy laughing at her situation. And if she really is an audience member, it’s even worse.
As is often the case, the song that resonates most powerfully in this show is “Black and Blue” in which the singers just sit on stools and share the pain they suffer each day: “‘Cause you’re Black, folks think you lack/They laugh at you and scorn you too/What did I do to be so black and blue.” It is a moment of true sadness and as real as this show gets.
Pet Peeve Alert: There are several times in the show when a singer holds a note for an extra-long time, not for any valid musical reason but just to do it. And it garners applause each time. This is a wretched practice and a cheap way to beg for approval, similar to the kick line which, when appearing in any stage musical, also gets uproarious applause. Let’s just hope no performer in the future ever holds a note for an extended time while simultaneously doing high kicks; half of the audience might expire from sheer ecstasy.
Pet peeves aside, this production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ has a lot to offer, once you emerge from the first act and can enjoy the many nuances and bold fun of the Fats Waller musical oeuvre.
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Through May 21 at the Great Lakes Theater, Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, 2067 E. 14th Street, 216-241-6000, greatlakestheater.org.
Coming soon: Cleveland Scene Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting Cleveland stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
This article appears in May 3-17, 2023.
