'Ain't Misbehavin'' revival happily fills Goodman stage
Go big or go home.
Director Chuck Smith clearly had that adage in mind when he staged Goodman Theatre's revival of "Ain't Misbehavin'," the tribute to iconic jazz composer/pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller.
Bold and brassy, Smith's production is as ebullient as Waller's infectious, up-tempo tunes rooted in the rollicking, stride piano style he helped immortalize.
While conceived 30 years ago by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr. for Broadway, "Ain't Misbehavin'" typically gets an intimate, cabaret-style production that doesn't translate well to big stages like Goodman's.
More Coverage Video Goodman's 'Ain't Misbehavin''
Smith expands the production to fit the space, which set designer Linda Buchanan has transformed into an elegantly understated nightclub with a royal, gold and purple color scheme and a shimmering backdrop for the tuxedoed musicians occupying the bandstand. Add Birgit Rattenborg Wise's complementary costumes - sequined fuchsia, royal blue, lavender, emerald and turquoise gowns for the women and snazzy suits with bright ties and pocket square for the men - and you have production that looks as bright as it sounds.
Transforming "Ain't Misbehavin'" into kind of urbane revue that might have played New York City's Cotton Club during the 1920s, Smith re-imagines the show as an homage to the Harlem Renaissance as much as a tribute to one of its masters and the swingin' tunes that served as its soundtrack.
What a soundtrack it is. Comprised of gems Waller composed or performed, it makes up for the barely there book. The always impressive Malcolm Ruhl leads a lively, eight-member band and a sterling quintet of singer-actors. Swinging as zealously as their instrumentalist counterparts, they deliver a veritable vocal explosion on "Handful of Keys," part of a fast-paced first act that concludes with the fiery "This Joint is Jumpin'." The second act boasts the sly "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" and a raucous finale that concludes with a delirious reprise of "Honeysuckle Rose."
As for the cast, whatever leading lady E. Faye Butler has to sell I'm buying. A commanding presence (her performance as Ella Fitzgerald in Northlight Theatre's bio-musical "Ella" was among the best of 2007), she sells a quirky tunelet like "Cash for Your Trash" as convincingly as she sells the heartfelt "Mean to Me," whose spare arrangement offsets perfectly Butler's quietly sublime vocals.
Butler is one-third of a brassy, sassy female trio that also includes self-assured Lina Kernan, who shifts effortlessly from torch singer in "Squeeze Me" to blues diva in "That Ain't Right," a scorcher that teams her with the lithe and seductive Parrish Collier. In addition to his defiant turn on "It Ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do" (a delight in double-time), Collier is the happily hedonistic soloist in "The Viper's Drag." Playing the innocent intent on mischief is vivacious Alexis Rogers, whose agile voice gets a good workout. Rounding out the cast is the waggish John Steven Crowley, sporting a bowler hat and a disarming grin as the composer's surrogate, who charms as he criticizes in the playful "Your Feet's Too Big."
Fine separately, they're better together, as in the exquisitely arranged "Black and Blue," which addresses racism even more provocatively than it addresses failed romance. One of the show's few subdued moments, it showcases not just the outsize talent of Smith's cast, but the scope of Waller's genius.
"Ain't Misbehavin'"
Rating: 3#189; stars
Location: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago
Times: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 3; also 7:30 p.m. July 15, 22 and 29; no show July 4; no 2 p.m. show July 24 or 31; no 7:30 p.m. show July 20
Running time: About 2 hours, with intermission
Tickets: $23-$78
Parking: Paid lots nearby
Box office: (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org
Rating: For most ages