Ain't Misbehavin'

Conceived and originally directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.
Based on an idea by Murray Horwitz & Richard Maltby, Jr.
Originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club
Originally choreographed by Arthur Faria
Originally produced on Broadway by Emanuel Azenberg, Dasha Epstein,
The Shubert Organization, Jane Gaynor & Ron Dante

Ain’t Misbehavin’ -- the Tony award winning musical -- is a journey through the Fats Waller Songbook and Harlem in its heyday. With snazzy period costumes, complete with bowlers, spats, ermine, and pearls, the dynamic five-member cast transforms the theater into a Harlem jazz hall.

Wikipedia notes that Ain’t Misbehavin’ “serves as a tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and '30s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, an era of growing creativity, cultural awareness, and ethnic pride, and takes its title from the 1929 Waller song "Ain't Misbehavin'". It was a time when Manhattan nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom were the playgrounds of high society and Lenox Avenue dives were filled with piano players banging out the new beat known as swing. Five performers present an evening of rowdy, raunchy, and humorous songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era and reflect Waller's view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play.”

When Ain’t Misbehavin’ opened on Broadway it won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. “The opening night audience almost knocked the roof off with cheers” reported William Glover in the Associated Press. Time Magazine called it a “stompin’, struttin’, high hattin’ smash” and Clive Barnes predicted Ain’t Misbehavin’ would be “A joyous celebration that is going to cross the world.” That time is now, with this exciting new production.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’ has a first act that will knock your ears off and a second that will come back for the rest of you.” said Walter Kerr of the New York Times.

There are sensuous songs such as “Honeysuckle Rose,” poignant numbers such as “Mean to Me” and “Black and Blue” plus hilarious performances of “That Ain’t Right,” “Your Feet’s Too Big” the naughty “Find Out What They Like,” and “Viper’s Drag.” This fast-paced romp takes its audience where the high steppers partied, from honky tonk dives to the Cotton Club, Tin Pan Alley and the Waldorf. A. Curtis Farrow directs and choreographs (with Vida Allworthy) thirty songs Fats Waller wrote or made famous.

See lots more about Ain't Misbehavin' here