The thought of a musical at the Ahmanson Theatre conjures up images of married couples with gray hair in suits and furs, settling down to a quiet evening of entertainment. After the first few minutes of the opening song, rife with double entendres and bawdy stage blocking, it is evident that “Ain’t Misbehavin'” ain’t that kind of musical.
“Ain’t Misbehavin,'” The Fats Waller Musical Show, as conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz, is a time revue currently playing at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles. Based on the works of famed Harlem Renaissance musician Thomas “Fats” Waller, “Ain’t Misbehavin'” offers no cohesive plot line. Plot is unnecessary in the dizzying variety and energy of Waller’s songs performed on stage.
The five cast members ““ Eugene Barry-Hill, Doug Eskew, Armelia McQueen, Debra Walton and, in a stellar performance, Roz Ryan ““ sing, dance, joke and gesticulate, but most of all, they emote. With more feeling than one would expect from context-less characters, the actors manage to effect an array of emotion, from giddily in love with another person to desperately heartbroken with the culture they live in. This is especially evident in the slower songs when the lights are dim and all that the audience can see and hear is an actor and her voice. Roz’s powerful singing in “Mean to Me” captured the depths of a scorned woman’s heart, and Doug Eskew’s over-the-top rendition of “Your Feet’s Too Big” left the audience laughing in hysterics.
The joy of much of Waller’s toe-tapping music is conveyed through the inspired dancing of the actors, as choreographed by Arthur Faria. The multi-song sequence centering on “The Ladies Who Sing with the Band” involves the actors weaving back and forth through a variety of outfits, emotions and styles of movement.
Although much of the show is bouncily happy, the emotional center of Waller’s music comes forth in a spared down harmonic arrangement of the well-known “Black and Blue.” The five actors, bereft of the sparkling costumes they wear for the rest of the revue, sit on simple black stools throughout the song. The great departure in tone and style, not only through vocals, but also through costuming, stage and lighting, gave this song the weight it requires, as an indelible emblem of the Harlem Renaissance and of American history.
Stripped of a followable plot, “Ain’t Misbehavin'” draws attention to the unique characteristics of traditional musical theater. The orchestra that plays (on stage and off), the design of the sets in each song, the zoom of a light to denote inner feelings (hilariously used in “Squeeze Me”) ““ all contribute equally to the audience’s enjoyment.
A special commendation needs to be given to Gerard Kelly, wig designer for the show. Whether up in buns or down in curls, the hair on the three women always matched not only the time period of the show, but also the mood of the current song.
“Ain’t Misbehavin'” is a rollicking musical romp through the catalog of Fats Waller, an artist who shrugged off accusations of “empty entertainment” by penning deep, emotionally responsive songs like “Black and Blue.”
It is only fitting that the musical based on his life and work should also be both greatly entertaining and emotionally true.
-Tiffany Li
E-mail Li at tli@media.ucla.edu.