BY Bob Fischbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
When the cast of "Ain't Misbehavin'" sings "This Joint Is Jumpin'" at the end of act one, well, that ain't jive, honey. It's jumpin'.
The John Beasley Theater's production of this Fats Waller revue, which won the best-musical Tony in 1978, is a slightly naughty, slightly bawdy, whole-lot-entertaining evening of script-free song and dance.
Yes, it felt slightly ragged, too, at last weekend's opening. The lighting crew left more than a few singers stranded in the dark for their opening bars, and the spotlight operators hadn't quite figured out how to subtly aim and focus.
But even when Tyrone Beasley and Leander Phelps dropped a verse of "Fat and Greasy" in act two, it didn't seem to matter. The crowd was in such a good mood, it clapped in rhythm and joined in on the chorus.
That's because Tyrone Beasley, who also directed the show, had by then set a tone that cast, crowd and crew just rolled with: fast, loose and energy through the roof, full of sass and ad-libs. Performers often worked the aisles and interacted with each other and the audience. This is a very different "Ain't Misbehavin'" than the one he directed five years ago.
Whether it was Melony Watkins staggering under the influence of a little too much champagne during "Jitterbug Waltz," or Phelps "dreamin' 'bout a reefer five feet long" during "Viper," or Norma Houser flirting with the crowd in "Daddy, Squeeze Me Again," or slightly shy Sharon Brown shining solo with "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now," the whole night was a contest over who was having more fun: audience or singers.
Beasley tripped the laughs fantastic all through "Your Feet's Too Big," which a teary Watkins followed up with "Mean to Me," sung heartbreakingly slow.
Other highlights: Watkins on melody and Beasley on counterpoint in "Lounging at the Waldorf"; tight quintet atonal chords that were almost & almost & solid on the breathtakingly beautiful "Black and Blue"; Watkins and Houser in heavenly harmony on "Let 'Em Have It Just That Way" . . . too many others to list.
All five are solid singers, though Phelps' breathy baritone was difficult to hear at times. Not so Watkins, whose brassy alto and a personality to match had no trouble projecting to the back of the house. Among a fine cast, it's she who shines brightest.
Imagine how a week's worth of performances will have exterminated the opening-night bugs, and you know this show is going places & which in fact it is a year from now, to Shizuoka, Japan, for a cultural exchange with Omaha's sister city.
Musical director Leon Adams, an awesome jazz pianist, joins with bassist Ricky Williams and drummer Steve Shininger to produce some tight trio work, including several instrumentals. Sondra McSwain's choreography looks great, and it's a real workout.
While the men are in bowler derbies and suits, the women switch from hats, gloves and cocktail dresses in act one to spangly evening gowns for the second half. Tyrone Beasley's stylized backdrop painting of a blue-suited singer, set against a mottled orange and yellow backdrop, fits the 1930s Harlem mood. ,
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