Interview: Marshall Jones III and AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' at NJPAC 2/1 to 2/4

Crossroads Theatre Company is "on the road" for their 2017-2018 season pleasing audiences all across New Jersey. Their permanent theatre location at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center is presently under construction and the new venue will open for the 2019 season.

From February 1 to February 6, NJPAC and Crossroads Theatre Company will present an encore production of Ain't Misbehavin'. Tony nominee André De Shields returns to direct and choreograph this acclaimed production of the Fats Waller award-winning musical, which premiered during Crossroads Theatre Company's 2011-2012 season.

Immerse yourself in the energetic, exuberant and effervescent world of the 1920s and '30s, from Manhattan nightclubs like the Cotton Club and Savoy Ballroom to Harlem rent parties with stride piano players banging out a new beat known as swing!

The cast includes Johmaalya Adelekan (Ragtime), Rheaume Crenshaw (Groundhog Day), David Samuel (Ruined, Arena Stage), Zurin Villanueva (Mean Girls; Shuffle Along), and Borris York (Holiday Inn; Love Never Dies, U.S. tour).

Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Marshall Jones III, the Producing Artistic Director of Crossroads Theatre Company about "Crossroads on the Road" and the upcoming production of Ain't Misbehavin'.

Marshall Jones III is a theater professor at Rutgers University. He has close to 30 years of experience in a wide variety of key executive positions at some of NYC's most reputable institutions including the Apollo Theater (General Manager), Madison Square Garden (Company Manager), Radio City Music Hall (Producer), and Disney's The Lion King. Marshall has directed several plays including world premiere of Walter Mosley's Lift, which later played at 59E59. He directed Nikkole Salter's Repairing a Nation, which later was recorded for TV broadcast on WNET. Last year he directed the world premiere of Beyond the Oak Trees about Harriet Tubman at Crossroads. He looks forward this spring when he directs the world premiere of Back to the Real by Pia Wilson, a contemporary comedy which is a joint-commission between Crossroads, NJPAC and the NJ Theater Alliance. For 8 years, Marshall has proudly served on the Board of Directors of the Theater Communication Group (TCG).

Tell us why you think Crossroad's 2017-2018 season of "Crossroads on the Road" has already been so successful.

We thematically program each season so we are proud to present: LOVE & HAPPINESS (que Al Green). The shows of the season resonate on the subject of religious tolerance, celebration of stride piano jazz, and the power of racial/sexual identity (particularly when confirmed by DNA). We've been delighted to present LOVE & HAPPINESS around the state. Not only see our beloved members trekking to new venues but we are picking up new members along the way. Middlesex County College and NJPAC have been delightful partners and we are/were honored to grace their stages.

What have been some of the challenges of presenting productions in multiple locations in NJ?

Travel. I live in North Brunswick so I have a five-minute commute to our Livingston Ave. venue. But the new venues have been gracious hosts so we are very appreciative. I can certainly handle a few extra miles of commuting but we also have to insure that our actors can arrive sufficiently. Since most of our actors and creatives live in NYC, the New Brunswick train station was only five-minute walk to Crossroads. So that's required attention - getting the actors to the venues.

We'd love to know some of your personal feelings about having Crossroads Theatre Company stage Ain't Misbehavin'.

This show has special meaning to me. When I was in high school, I told my father that I want to work on Broadway - on stage or back stage - didn't matter. He then purchased tickets to AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' for me and my brother. The three of us had a wonderful time. I remember it like yesterday. I had just come to Crossroads back in 2007, and my wife worked with Andre. He played King Lear at the Folgers Theater in DC. My wife was Goneril and I had the pleasure of meeting him. I expressed how I saw the show in the late 70's and I still have the cast album. He asked where was it? I said at home. He said bring it and I shall sign. I did. And he did. Then I asked him if he was ever approached to direct AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'. He said No. And I said, we'd love to have you direct it at Crossroads. And in October 2011, he did just that! That production was one of my proudest moments as Artistic Director of Crossroads. Brilliant evening of theater!

Tell us a little about working with Andre De Shields in Ain't Misbehavin'.

I have said no one on this planet understands this show like André. Not only does he have an intimate understanding to the show and its music, he also has a wealth of knowledge about the Harlem Renaissance. So he is passionate about the cultural significance of that time period for the initial celebration of black culture and history. And it's wrapped indelibly in his direction. Watching him explains the nuances of behavior and how various dance moves were influenced by writings and history.

NJPAC is the ideal venue for the show's 40th Anniversary. What would you like metro area audiences to know?

There's only six performances! Newark has a strong history of jazz (birthplace of sassy Sarah Vaughan) in addition to being the home of WBGO. So we have a treat for jazz fans in Northern NJ.

For the future?

I put on my directing hat to bring to life a new script. A co-commission with NJPAC and the NJ Theater Alliance of a new comedy entitled BACK TO THE REAL by Pia Wilson. It's funny but what I really like about the script is the material covers some taboo subjects. Such as intra-racial identity (like-skinned blacks and dark-skinned blacks) along with issues of sexual identities. And the use of humor has a tendency to disarm audiences but the effect of the punches land a few days later. You know, when you go: Hmmmm. That's the power of good satire.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW readers to know.

Crossroads is alive and well. We really appreciate our audience traveling the Turnpike to see us and we look forward to fall of 2019 when the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center comes to life. It will be a great time for the Arts in New Jersey.

Ain't Misbehavin' will be performed in NJPAC's Victoria Theatre from Thursday February 1 to Sunday, February 4. NJPAC is located at 1 Center Street in the heart of Newark's Arts District. The Center has convenient parking and mass transit options. For tickets, please visit http://www.njpac.org/events/detail/aint-misbehavin or call 1.888.GO.NJPAC.

For more information on Crossroads Theatre Company, visit http://www.crossroadstheatrecompany.org/.

And follow the Company on social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Yasmeen Fahmy and Courtesy of Marshall Jones III

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