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Goodman's 'Misbehavin'' is big and bold spectacle
THEATER REVIEW | Revival has a Fats Waller-type presence
Taken from the July 1, 2008 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times
By Hedy Weiss
It has been 30 years since a little cabaret revue called "Ain't Misbehavin'" made the leap to Broadway, ran for more than 1,600 performances and catapulted five performers (including Nell Carter) to stardom.
Conceived by lyricist Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz, with grand arrangements by Luther Henderson, the show instantly rekindled interest in the music of Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943), the brilliant jazz pianist, songwriter and engaging performer who was in all ways larger than life.
The Goodman Theatre's revival of "Ain't Misbehavin'," zestfully directed by Chuck Smith, has now become, like Waller himself, a larger-than-life enterprise. Smith has assembled five Chicago singer-actors with power pipes, and the plus-size personalities to match, backing them with a sensational eight-piece onstage band led by Malcolm Ruhl. Meanwhile, set designer Linda Buchanan has devised a gargantuan Art Deco "nightclub" for the action that looks more like Radio City Music Hall than an after-hours club, though it's just right for "The Waldorf."
What is lost is the teasing intimacy of the show. What is gained is a massive showcase for Chicago talent including E. Faye Butler, whose comic timing is as foolproof as her voice; Lina Kernan (previously a standout in Porchlight's "Ragtime"), with a voice and personality both deeply sensual and sassy; Alexis Rogers (also from "Ragtime"), a petite firecracker who can make you giggle on cue; John Steven Crowley, whose gentlemanly ways are full of mischief, a la Fats, and Parrish Collier, who easily carries you away on forbidden substances in "The Viper Drag."
The joy factor is huge here. But when it's time for a group portrait in pain, this cast also knows just how to sing "Black and Blue."
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