AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' Opens Segal Centre's 2013-14 Theatre Season Tonight

The Segal Centre will swing into its 2013-2014 Theatre Season with the Tony Award-winning musical Ain't Misbehavin', The Fats Waller Musical Show, conceived by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz. Presented in Montreal for the first time in over twenty years, this classic jazz-age musical revue is revived at the Segal Centre under the direction of Roger Peace and featuring a stellar cast led by Kim Richardson and Toya Alexis. In co-production with Copa de Oro Productions and sponsored by KPMG, Ain't Misbehavin' runs from tonight, September 29th to October 20th, 2013 in the Segal Theatre.

The inimitable Thomas "Fats" Waller rose to international fame during the golden age of the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom, when the nightclubs of New York were filled with stride piano players banging out that jumpin' new beat, swing.

Three-time Tony Award-winner Ain't Misbehavin' is a musical tribute to the great jazz pianist Fats Waller and his iconic tunes that defined an era. From "Honeysuckle Rose" to "The Joint is Jumpin'" and "I Can't Give You Anything but Love", a quintet of irresistible talents invites us to experience the delightful humour and infectious energy of the great jazzman and 1930s Harlem at the height of its social and cultural renaissance. Sassy, sizzling, and irresistibly feel-good, Ain't Misbehavin' is simply unforgettable.

After the success of The Mahalia Jackson Musical, written and directed by Roger Peace, the Segal Centre once again collaborates with Copa de Oro Productions, and Mr. Peace, to bring this 1978 Broadway classic to life.

"I want to present to our audiences the joy, wit and the exuberance, together with the occasional touch of raunch - of Fats Waller's wonderful music. With the great cast we have, I hope to bring something a little different to some of the musical numbers, while still keeping the fun and energy of the songs," says the veteran director of over 100 stage productions, including the award-winning Piaf: Love Conquers All.

After wowing critics in the French-language adaptation of Hairspray at Théâtre St-Denis, Kim Richardson leads the dynamite cast in the role originated by Broadway diva Nell Carter. The three-time Juno Award-winning singer has performed alongside the country's top artists and most recently appeared in the feature film Funkytown, also recording and co-writing the song "Waiting For Your Touch" for the movie's soundtrack.

This new production will give Montreal audiences the chance to discover powerhouse singer Toya Alexis, featured in the role originated by Armelia McQueen.Runner-up in CTV's Canadian Idol in 2003, Alexis gave a critically-acclaimed performance as Effie in the Canadian/London production of Dreamgirls.

Richardson and Alexis are joined by Michael-Lamont Lytle, Jonathan Emile and Aiza Ntibarikure. Ntibarikure turned heads in Paul Van Dyck's acclaimed adaptation of Oroonoko and also appeared alongside Kim Richardson in this summer's hit musical Hairspray.

Fats Waller's infectious tunes will have the joint jumping with a five-piece band live on stage, under the musical direction of Chris Barillaro (Schwartz's:The Musical). The original cabaret-style luster of the iconic New York nightclubs will shine on the Segal stage with a set design by Jean-Claude Olivier, lighting by Peter Spike Lyne and costumes by Karen Pearce.

Ain't Misbehavin' inaugurates the Segal Centre's 2013-2014 theatre season, which continues in November with a new production of Shakespeare's Othello, in association with Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre.

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