By Julien R. Fielding
Thomas "Fats" Waller's Ain't Misbehavin' opened as a limited-run cabaret act on Feb. 8, 1978 , but was so well-received that it soon moved to Broadway, running 1,604 performances. Recreating the atmosphere of a 1930s nightclub in Harlem , it was nominated for five Tony Awards, winning for Best Musical, and received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and a Special Citation from the Off-Broadway Obie Awards. Six years after it closed, it was revived in 1988 by lyricist Richard Maltby Jr. and ran another 184 performances. This much-lauded musical revue, which contains such songs as "T'Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do," "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Joint is Jumpin'" and "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie," will open March 28 in the John Beasley Theater located inside the LaFern Williams Center at 30th and Q streets.
John Beasley, who plays Irv Harper on WB's "Everwood," said that he selected the show as his theater's third production because he liked what the piece had to offer. "We looked at musicals and wanted something with great music and high energy," John said. "Fats Waller has some great numbers that have stood the test of time."
Instead of setting it inside a nightclub, director Tyrone Beasley, John's 37-year-old son, wanted to try something different, so he moved the music and dance into an alleyway. To simulate the ambience and energy of the dance halls, juke joints, block parties, vaudeville and burlesque that took place in 1930s Harlem, Tyrone said he watched the Broadway production - shown on PBS documentaries such as Ken Burns' "Jazz" series - a number of films and read books on the subject. "And he sleeps and eats the CD," John said.
Ain't Misbehavin' will mark Tyrone's directorial debut; a task that hasn't been easy. From the beginning, he has had a difficult time finding and retaining actors. Part of the reason for this, John believes, is that as far as live theater is concerned, the black community is underexposed.
"Talk about tough. It's been rough," John said. "We've had some cast members drop out. We're working with a lot of new people who don't understand the commitment, so we've had to push the date back. There's a tremendous amount of talent in Omaha but finding a pool to call on has been difficult. It's especially difficult to find black and Latino actors. Hopefully we can train them and get a larger pool."
So far the lineup includes Mary E. Fudge, Yolanda T. 'Tre Love' Kynard, Robin L. Sayers and D. Kevin Williams, an actor who frequently stars in Stages of Omaha productions, most recently in Personals.
Because John splits his time between Hollywood , Salt Lake City and Omaha , his theater has had an infrequent schedule. That will soon change.
"This will be the final show of the season, then hopefully next year we will begin a full lineup with four to five shows," John said. "We just established a board."
Tyrone, who will make sure the productions stay on track, has an extensive background in theater. He went to Chicago to work with Michael Shurtleff, a casting director for Broadway and such films as The Graduate, and the author of Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part. Eventually Tyrone moved to Chicago . He furthered his skills by studying with Mary Ann Thebus, an actress who played Sean Astin's mother in Rudy, a film in which John Beasley starred as Coach Warren. At the Goodman Theater Tyrone acted in Peter Sellars' production of Merchant of Venice - which also starred Philip Seymour Hoffman - that took him all over Europe . Back in the states, he attended California State University at Long Beach where he earned a degree in theater. Tyrone returned to Omaha to help further develop the John Beasley Theater.
"There's a lot of talent here but they all leave, because there isn't an industry here," Tyrone said. "I want to shine the spotlight on Omaha ." John started his theater as a workshop and built the first play, August Wilson's Fences, around that.
"The whole thing is a work in progress," John said. "The reviews have been good, so it shows we're on track. We're concerned about the quality and we prefer to train the actors."
The theater's second production was Joe Turner's Come and Gone, another play by Wilson, one of Beasley's favorite playwrights. "His work needs to be done," John said.
Most of the plays that John chooses are works that he himself wants Omaha to see. "There are any number of [plays] I'd like to do but the budget plays a part," especially since every production thus far has been financed out of John's own pocket. That doesn't worry the actor too much. He's more concerned about putting on high quality shows that will build the theater a reputation. "I'd like to have the theater known regionally for its good acting and quality productions," he said.
If everything goes as planned, classes at the John Beasley Theater will begin this summer. "I've been visiting high schools and speaking to them about the arts and what we're doing here to develop them," John said. "We want to forge relationships with public schools, to fill the void when funds are being cut for the arts." (Tyrone would like to eventually add filmmaking to the theater's offerings.) John also has forged relationships with the University of Nebraska at Omaha , where he attended classes, and Iowa Western Community College . Both institutions are lending a hand to Ain't Misbehavin' ; the UNO Theater Department is contributing the brightly colored, 1930s-era costumes and a stage manager, and IWCC is constructing the sets.
Despite his love of the theater, John said he's anxious to find more film work. "I think I'm blessed to be on a hit TV show," he said. "That's my main focus because it pays the bills. But I want to land a film during the hiatus. I haven't done anything since Sum of All Fears.
Ain't Misbehavin' will open March 28 even if John has to bring in a professional from out of town. "We've already pushed it back two weeks at a cost of $100 a week," he said. "Just to extend it has cost $500."
The show will continue through April 27.