My review of Ain’t Misbavin’ at LA’s Ahmanson

What a minute. Did that really happen? The audience at the Ahmanson Theatre clapping and singing with the cast of Ain’t Misbehavin’ during one of their numbers Saturday night?

It did and boy, it sure was great fun.

I’m just gonna say this up front: run, don’t walk, to the Ahmanson and see this wonderful, first-rate production of the Fats Waller Musical Show where a seasoned cast of talented pros will give you one of the best nights of musical theater you will have this year.

I tapped my toe the entire show which was directed by original Broadway director Richard Maltby Jr. exclusive to the Ahmanson.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ stars Roz Ryan and Armelia McQueen
photo by Craig Schwartz

It’s a five-member cast that is comprised of Eugene Barry-Hill, Doug Eskew, Armelia McQueen, Roz Ryan and Debra Walton and they sing the hell out of every number in the energetic first act which is mostly comprised of mostly ensemble singing and dancing.  Stand-outs fior me were “Honeysuckle Rose” by Eskew and Ryan, “When the Nylons Bloom Again” by the three ladies, and the cast’s “The Joint is Jumpin.'”

The second act gave the performers more of a chance to shine individually as the tempo slowed down to a more deliberate pace at times . Eskews’s “Your Feet’s Too Big” and Ryan’s “Mean to Me” were standouts and the company’s “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” was a highlight as the show neared its end.

The cast is a gifted one and has some serious Broadway credentials. Ryan succeeded Nell Carter in the original production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ and McQueen was a member of that show’s original Broadway cast. Barry-Hill and Eskew had both done national tours of the show and this made for such an ease and confidence with the material. They weren’t just singing it, they were living it and breathing it and it was a privilege to witness.

The show runs through Mzay 31. Click HERE for ticket info.