Review: Musical Theatre West Presents Spirited AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'

Musical Theatre West concludes its 72nd season with a new yet familiar-looking production of the sassy and spunky AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', the Tony Award-winning 1978 musical revue that celebrates the music of jazz legend Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, one of the most influential musicians and composers of the 1920's and 1930's Harlem Renaissance. The show pays tribute to Waller's lively, infectiously energetic music—and, by extension, the vibrant, creatively flourishing Black culture of the time—set against the backdrop of the Harlem nightclubs, cabarets, and jazz "joints" of the era.

As it is a musical "revue," the show doesn't have the traditional trappings of a book musical such as plot or dialogue. Rather, it is structured as a series of songs and sketches that don't share much of a connective tissue other than its musical stylings. Much like in a jazz or cabaret club, the live band is seen (and heard) right on stage, while the featured performers—a small but talented collective of five who each embody "characters" that capture the spirit of the era—all sing, dance, and play out moments from the jazz age that reflect the joy, humor, and struggles of life in Harlem. Some sing individual solos, while most join one or two others on stage for rousing numbers or layered, bittersweet tunes.

And like one of its songs suggests, "this joint is jumpin'!"

Directed and choreographed by Paul David Bryant, the show comes off as an organized succession of hyper-acted vignettes, with a terrific-sounding live jazz band—musically directed by conductor William Foster McDaniel, appearing out front on piano as well—accompanying a cast of extremely talented singers performing the heck outta these genre-defining standards. 

The show's impressive company includes (in alphabetical order) Eric B. Anthony, Chante Carmel, Marty Austin Lamar, Amber Liekhus, and Fredericka Meek, all of whom exude bubbly, likable personalities that are joyfully matched by their individual vocal prowesses. Whether singing a raunchy bit of swing or an emotional ballad dripping in pathos, each phenomenal performer seems to be equally incredible at either hamming it up or wowing with tender moments of melancholy and reflection.

Of course, it's the show's music that keeps us enthralled, many of which have become iconic songs of the era. These include the title song (which, natch, opens and closes the show) plus "Honeysuckle Rose," "T Ain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do," "The Joint Is Jumpin'," "Handful of Keys," "Mean To Me,"  "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," and many more.

The revue effectively captures the essence of Waller's distinctive sound, with its infectious rhythms and witty lyrics that blend humor with moments of reflection and, at times, cultural significance. The show's absolute highlight for me comes near the end of the second act, when the entire ensemble sits demurely in individual stools while dimly lit, singing the rather heartbreaking "Black and Blue," a song that just oozes searing emotion and—if you listen deeper between the stanzas—a bit of historical context as a not-so-subtle protest song that speaks volumes about the struggles of Blacks in America.

But much of the show, to our collective delight, is spent immersed in giddy joy—mixed with "drunken" mirth, hilarious, sassy quips, unabashed flirtatiousness, and some harmless banter with one another. 

The riff-roaring trio of ladies are killing it not only with their individual songs but also in their gorgeous shared harmonies. Liekhus stands out with her magnificent soprano range, Meek's unique tone made me smile, and Carmel's voice was just heavenly. Swagger-iffic Anthony at one point brings down the house with the naughty tune "The Viper's Drag" which is devilishly good fun. The show even allows for a bit of audience participation in the form of "call-and-response" shout-outs mostly instigated by Lamar's jolly urging in silly songs like "Your Feet's Too Big" and "Fat and Greasy." With a mostly older crowd in attendance on opening night, such buoyant moments of shared merriment definitely woke up a lot of seemingly non-reactive people.

My only real gripe with MTW's production is a fixable technical one: with the rousing, full-throttle live jazz band placed smack-dab in the middle of the stage blaring away, they, unfortunately, often drown out some of the women in the ensemble from being clearly audible (but, oddly, not the men). Here's hoping the show's sound team can adjust their microphone volumes accordingly for future performances to accommodate for this imbalance.

But the show, for the most part, does an excellent job of paying homage to the artistry and creativity of not only Waller but all African-American performers of the genre during the Harlem Renaissance, honorably celebrating the jazz, blues, and swing music they invented and cultivated, and that became the sound that birthed so many great, historically important artists. Visually, the show effectively conveys its place in the historical timeline, from Edward E. Haynes Jr.'s vibrantly colorful vintage stage set (lit in gorgeous hues by Paul Black) to Carina Holley's sophisticated, retro jazz-era costumes that don't feel like mere improvised 20's cosplay.

While on the whole AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' is as entertaining as one might expect, I do secretly wish the show gave us more info about Waller by way of better transitions that included a tidbit or two about the artist and the era itself. Whether it's a brief snippet of actual dialogue or, perhaps, some informative, biographical narration inserted in between songs would have been an appreciated gift for a show that simply doles out one song after another without any kind of context, behind-the-scenes color, or historical background. It certainly doesn't have to play out like a Ken Burns-style doc or even a VH1 Behind-the-Music special, but just a bit of info-spewing to break up the concert vibe would have done wonders.

Such spoken breaks allowed in the music would have also, perhaps, given the show a platform to acknowledge the recent passing of original cast member Ken Page. Recalling the original show's Tony winner Nell Carter and her contributions would have also been a nice addition, even if the mention is not actually weaved into the show itself.

Luckily the songs themselves—and the amazing performers singing these tunes—pretty much "save" this show from being just another standard-fare jukebox revue. The show is certainly frothy and exciting enough throughout—so much so that an entranced patron sitting behind me began tapping along loudly in his seat without noticing the somewhat annoying distraction he was inadvertently causing (it wasn't such a dealbreaker, but, sadly, the poor guy just couldn't quite keep up with the rhythm of the show's performers, so I was eventually forced to kindly ask him to cease).

That kind of infectiously cheerful feeling you get from AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' is just in its very nature, and experiencing the show with this much crazy-good talent in front of the mic and behind the instruments only makes it that much more delightful.

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Photos courtesy of Musical Theatre West.

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Performances of Musical Theatre West's production of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' continue through Sunday, November 3, 2024. The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton Street in Long Beach, CA. For tickets or for more information, please call 562-856-1999 x4 or visit online at www.musical.org.

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