Alanna Lovely in “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show.” (Justin Barbin)
Fats Waller, known as the master of the stride piano, was once described by Oscar Levant as “the Black Vladimir Horowitz.” But as you will realize while watching Drury Lane Theatre’s altogether terrific revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show” — a revue conceived by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz that was first produced on Broadway in 1978 — Waller was far more than a masterful pianist.
Born and bred in New York, Waller, who was immensely productive during his all too short life (1904-1943), was a remarkable composer with more than 400 copyrighted songs. Many were written in collaboration with lyricists Andy Razaf and Harry Brooks. Waller also was an organist and a singer who set the stage for modern jazz piano with his irresistible Harlem stride style and exuberant personality.
Drury Lane’s production was deftly directed by the long-heralded and award-winning Chicago-bred actress E. Faye Butler, and zestily choreographed by Mz. Flo Walker-Harris. The musical soars on a multi-talented cast of six who perform 30 songs — most, but not all of which, were composed by Waller. And the show is winningly driven by its outstanding music director and pianist William Foster McDaniel (perched in various places on stage throughout the show) and by his outstanding four-man band, all of whom fully capture Waller’s wonderfully witty and exuberant spirit.
Music director William Foster McDaniel plays piano for “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show.” (Justin Barbin)
And now to the stand-out cast that includes two men (the young, fleet-footed James T. Lane, and Lorenzo Rush Jr., a big man with great comic flair who moves with style) and three women (Sharriese Y. Hamilton, Alanna Lively and Alexis J. Rosten), all of whom possess fine voices and distinctive personalities. The members of the band are top notch, including Yosef Ben Israel (on bass), Rodney Harper (drums), Dudley Owens (clarinet and tenor saxophone) and Fernando Pullum (trumpet and flugelhorn).
Each song is deftly performed with a sense of wit, humor and emotion — alternately comic, teasing, sarcastic, romantic, lovesick, playfully sexy. The list goes on. Of course, the rhythm is totally captivating. And just a brief list of some of the teasing song titles is enough to entice: “Honeysuckle Rose,” “The Jitterbug Waltz,” “The Ladies Who Sing With the Band,” “When the Nylons Bloom Again,” “The Viper’s Drag,” “Your Feet’s Too Big,” “Fat and Greasy,” “Black and Blue” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” … and the beat also goes on.
Setting the scene is the posh nightclub design set by Andrew Boyce, with lighting by Lee Fiskness, costumes by McKinley Johnson and first-rate sound design (too often a rarity these days) by Stephanie Farina.
James T. Lane, Alanna Lovely, Alexis J. Roston, Micah Mixon and Lorenzo Rush Jr. in “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show.” (Justin Barbin)
Take my advice: This show will make your summer. And I only hope that the Drury Lane team will find a way to get it to Broadway, where, surprisingly, it hasn’t had a revival since 1988.
“Ain’t Misbehavin’” runs through Aug. 18 at the Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane Terrace in Oakbrook Terrace. For tickets, visit drurylanetheatre.com or phone 630-530-8300.
Note: Coming up next at Drury Lane is “The Audience” (Aug. 28-Oct. 20), a play by Peter Morgan described as “an intimate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the pivotal audiences she held with her prime ministers.” And then it’s back to musicals: Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” (Nov. 6, 2024-Jan. 12, 2025) and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” (Jan. 29-March 30, 2025).
Follow Hedy Weiss on Twitter: @HedyWeissCritic
