Review Roundup: AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'- THE FATS WALLER MUSICAL at La Mirada

Join five performers on a journey through the timeless music of the legendary Thomas "Fats" Waller in this brand-new look at AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'. The show features memorable songs like "Honeysuckle Rose," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Black and Blue," and "This Joint is Jumping." With moments of sass, sultriness, and devastating beauty, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' breaths life into the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s.

The show stars Frenchie Davis, Thomas Hobson, Boise Holmes, Amber Liekhus, and Natalie Wachen. AIN'T MISBEHAVIN was conceived by Richard Maltby Jr., and Murray Horwitz, with music by Fats Waller, direction and staging by Ken Page, music direction by Lanny Hartley, choreography by Jeffrey Polk.

AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' runs through October 8 at La Mirada theatre.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Daryl H. Miller, The LA Times: The spirit of the original staging is very much alive here, with each of the five performers establishing a distinct personality that also reflects an aspect of Waller's. The performers' talents line up with those of the actors who so memorably popularized this show... Extraordinary individually, the performers approach the divine when clustered in tight harmonies.

Eric Marchese, The Orange County Register: Though it represents a highly specific slice of American musical and cultural history, "Ain't Misbehavin'" is one of those shows that never goes out of style... the show is an outrageously enjoyable celebration of a bygone world. Filled with joy, sass, flair, and 'tude to spare, La Mirada-McCoy Rigby's superb production revives that world while generating nostalgia for a singular time in American life.

Michael Quintos, BroadwayWorld: Its ultimate aim, of course, is to entertain the audience... and, man, does this show ever!... If you're looking for pure, buoyant, musically-thrilling entertainment in its most delightful form, then look no farther than this excellent production of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'... Overall, this celebratory production of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' is a stunning, truly impressive display of pure musical talent, both from the vocally-blessed cast and the various artists, writers, and composers that have entered into Fats Waller's musical enclave.

Frances Baum Nicholson, The Stage Struck Review: And live it does, in La Mirada, in the best production of "Ain't Misbehavin'" I have seen since the first one... This production is directed by Ken Page, a member of the original company who has been able to communicate that ensemble feel to the performers. Under his leadership, Davis handles the part originally performed by the great Nell Carter, and manages to find a balance between that legacy and her own ways of showing strength and humor... In short, this show is very, very good. If you have any interest in jazz from the first half of the 20th Century, or you love classic blues, or even just want to have a great time at the theater, run, do not walk, to get tickets to this "Ain't Misbehavin'".

Photo: Micheal Lamont

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