Some jukebox shows include almost all of a songwriter’s canon. Not so “Ain’t Misbehavin,'” given that Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller wrote (or co-wrote) more than 400 songs, even as he became famous as a massively talented jazz pianist in the 1930s, moving from theater organist to big-time radio star to Hollywood actor. European acclaim followed, too. No mean feat for a Black musician in the 1930s.
Even Al Capone’s goons were impressed. Both Waller and his son famously told a story about Fats being kidnapped at gunpoint at Chicago’s Sherman Hotel and then taken to Capone’s Hawthorne Hotel in Cicero and asked politely, so to speak, to perform at Capone’s 27th birthday party.
The Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace is less than 15 miles from Cicero and much effort has been made by scenic designer Andrew Boyce to evoke a Chicago-style piano joint from the era of Waller’s prime: designers who have to deal with one-set revues either come up with the obvious or, in this case, build a really swank and glam environment for the singers, replete with faux-brick walls, a moveable platform for the live, on-stage band and what feels like a refuge from the world outside. They even installed a bar in the back of the theater, which is the first time I’ve seen that at Drury Lane in more than 25 years. You don’t expect a stand-out design for this show, frankly, but that is what Boyce delivered, and it’s beautifully lit by Lee Fiskness. The whole cast looks gorgeous.
They sound terrific, too. The actress E. Faye Butler, a beloved figure in Chicago and Washington, D.C., theater, is in the director’s chair this time and she surely knows how to stage this kind of material. I’ve seen her appear in dozens of these kinds of revues, including this one from back in 1978. What you need is a clutch of fine singers (here it’s Sharriese Y. Hamilton, Alanna Lovely, Alexis J. Roston and Lorenzo Rush Jr., along with a fine young Broadway talent named James T. Lane), the kind of warm, gently interactive atmosphere in which Rush especially specializes, authentic musical direction (William Foster McDaniel leads the veteran quintet from the upright piano) and a dose of old-school pizzazz, which is absolutely in place here.
Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz’s “Ain’t Misbehavin'” has been a frequently performed show across six decades now (ouch) and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve reviewed it. In many ways, it was the model for other Broadway revues that followed. In 1978, this kind of show was a rarity on Broadway for several reasons, and yet “Ain’t Misbehavin'” still took home the Tony Award for best new musical, with Tonys also going to Maltby for direction and to one of the show’s original stars, Nell Carter.
The songs jump out for two acts, moving swiftly here with minimal chatter: “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Ladies Who Sing With the Band,” “The Joint is Jumpin’,” “Mean to Me,” “Black and Blue,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “Two Sleepy People,” and those are just my personal favorites.
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It’s a classy, old-school night, emotionally resonant and celebratory of the human spirit.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (3.5 stars)
When: Through Aug. 18
Where: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace
Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Tickets: $67.95-$140 at 630-530-0111 and drurylanetheatre.com