Stage “Jazz,” said Bix Beiderbecke, “is musical humor”: a definition seemingly rejected by the oh-so-earnest jazzmen of bop and other postwar schools. But it was never forgotten by Bix’s contemporary Thomas “Fats” Waller, and is well reflected in Live Arts’ energetic revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’, the Tony Award-winning revue devoted to Fats’ music. Of course, it’s the excellence of that music—30 selections, written or recorded by the great Harlem pianist and composer between 1922 and 1943—that is the foundation of the show’s success. For Fats, however, wit was always essential to his art, as inherent in a rhythm or a melodic line as in the mugging and spoken asides that marked his performances. Director John Owen’s talented team honors that spirit of integration by serving Waller’s confections as a seamlessly entertaining blend of song, dance and comedy.
Chewing the Fats: Live Arts makes a musical meal out of Fats Waller’s legendary jazz compositions in its production of Ain’t Misbehavin’.
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Live Arts recalls the 1978 cabaret premiere by seating the audience at tables, but spreads the work of the original five-member cast (retained when the show reached Broadway) among 11, making for busier ensemble dance numbers at a possible cost in intimacy and individual character. A few performers merit special notice. Listen for the singing of Richelle Claiborne and Lili Bryant. The former’s sultry contralto smolders impressively in both the light ballad “I’ve Got a Feeling” and the up-tempo, accusatory “That Ain’t Right,” while Bryant’s “Keepin’ Out of Mischief,” both playful and tender, may be the sweetest four minutes of the evening. In a conflation of Waller’s “Viper’s Drag” and the traditional “Reefer Song,” Ricardo Coleman hypnotizes with the crooning gyrations of a viper (Jazz Age pothead) celebrating his addiction.
The small band supports the cast with unobtrusive swing throughout, solidly led by pianist Erica Umback. But why are these musicians hidden in a screened pit? Fats Waller was all about the piano, which appropriately anchors the accompaniment of Ain’t Misbehavin’ and figured visibly in the original New York staging with a stage band that reproduced Fats’ own ensemble. Live Arts publicity photos even show cast members “gathering around the piano.” Placing Umback at an upright on stage would bring this image to life, giving the instrument its deserved prominence and enhancing the rent-party atmosphere at which the production aims.