The '20s roar on through Waller's lyrics
by Paige M. Travis
It's a shame you don't hear many of Fats Waller's songs anymore. The songs he wrote and those that he made his own are smart and sassy, livened by his style of piano playing called the Harlem stride. Sixty years after his death, Waller's tunes evoke a time and place—New York City in the '20s and '30s—that is fascinating for its significant contribution to America's musical history.
With that in mind, thank goodness for a show like Ain't Misbehavin'. For those of us unfamiliar with Waller's music, the cabaret-style musical revue feels like an exhilarating musical history lesson and a tutorial in the trials and tribulations of love. Waller's songs, as performed by a cast of five, suggest stories of romance. There's budding passion, a developing relationship, temptation, the quarreling couple, and the weary marriage—all conveyed with knowing winks and smiles from the actors. We all know how fun love can be, they seem to say, but it has its perils too. Waller himself was an infamous ladies man, so he understood all too well the ups and downs of the game.
The cast members' acting chops, and the concept development by director/choreographer Harry Bryce, makes Ain't Misbehavin' more than a series of song 'n' dance numbers. Although they're not given specific names (like the countrified monikers in Pump Boys & Dinettes), each character has a singular personality. Brian Bonner establishes himself as The Playa during "Honeysuckle Rose," as he woos Le'Sean Stewart. Halfway through the song, she turns the tables and makes him beg for her attention. As many of the numbers play out like sexy hip-hop music videos, this cat and mouse game continues, keeping our focus on the lovers like the paparazzi focus on Ben and J-Lo.
Bonner's comedic talent was reconfirmed most recently in Tennessee Stage Company's As You Like It, in which the actor played three very different small parts—all hilarious. To this show he brings his spot-on sense of timing and unlimited cache of facial expressions, especially through the novel "Your Feet's Too Big." The song is so dated and politically incorrect that it's hard to imagine how Waller made it a hit, but Bonner cops a million funny expressions and makes us laugh, forgetting just how ridiculous it is to write a song about a guy with big feet.
Where there is music, there must be dancing. Bryce's streamlined, uncomplicated choreography enhances the songs while staying within the parameters of the stage and the actors' abilities. The lanky Marquez Rhyne is the best dancer of the group. Given the opportunity, he takes full leaps across the stage and kicks his leg high. As an actor and singer, he makes a serious impression during "The Viper's Drag," a song about the inevitable intersection of drugs and jazz. Under dim blue lights, the singers moan and swoon, backed by low, drawn-out beats. The whole number is hypnotic, and it's one of the few instances when the play hints at the dark times and downsides of the jazz age and its major players.
Lar'Juanette Williams does double duty as the Bijou's acting executive director and a cast member. Her stellar voice harmonizes with Dreamgirls' co-stars Carolyn Long and Le'Sean Stewart (whose voice makes magic with "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling.") The three take turns playing different female archetypes: the sex symbol, the other woman and the odd-girl-out. They strut and smile and flash their eyes coyly or with jealousy. And none are afraid to play the fool. Several numbers are played for laughs; the singers hit wrong notes and scamper around foolishly.
That sense of humor—and every actor's sheer willingness to participate—is the production's strength, what makes it particularly entertaining as musical theater. You go in thinking you'll hear a few good songs, and you come out having laughed quite a bit. It's a nice surprise.
The set is simple enough; arranged like a stage you might find in a bar or juke joint that caters to the jazz crowd. The band is on stage for the show, along with musical director Edward Pierce, whose center-stage piano takes turns with the actors as the star of the scenes. The talented musicians at work create a full orchestra sound and help Ain't Misbehavin' live up to its full potential. Even after the actors take their final bows, the musicians stay on to finish the final encore of "Ain't Misbehavin'," belting it out with as much energy as the first notes.
Through Fats Waller's catchy and perceptive tunes, Ain't Misbehavin' celebrates the jazz culture, the urban energy, and creative passion of a specific time in American history that is rarely explored on stage. The show's penultimate number, "Black and Blue" is a stirring song, one of the only songs that addresses what life was like for black Americans in Waller's time. The actors wear white gloves, the movements of their hands covering and uncovering their faces as they sing: " I'm so forlorn,
Life's just a thorn / My heart is torn / Why was I born? / What did I do to be so / Black and blue?" The emotions are universal for all people, but the rendition emphasizes the all-black cast and the significance of Waller's success as a role model for his generation.
With its first production of the new season, the Bijou lives up to its mission to provide Knoxville with quality musical theater. Ain't Misbehavin' was a great choice to highlight the talents of these singing actors. We'll be glad to see and hear them again.
September 18, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 38
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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