AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, now playing at Sacramento's Music Circus (through Aug. 20), is a musical revue-type show of classic Fats Waller music and songs that were big hits back in the 20s, 30s and 40s.
Unfortunately, unless you are a fan of this music, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' is probably going to miss the mark with you. The five actors/singers - Eldric Bashful, Julia Lema, Michael James Leslie, Amy Jo Phillips and Cynthia Thomas, along with musical director and pianist Ronald P. Metcalf did an admirable job as they made their way through about two hours of non-stop (except for intermission) song and dance, which included some 32 songs (although a couple were reprises).
This was a departure from the Music Circus' usual offerings - musicals. The production was a total musical revue - no plot - just various props to set the mood for the songs. This, in itself, wouldn't have been so bad, but for younger audience members - such as myself - there was no song recognition of the Waller tunes. While I can get by with some jazz, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole on occasion, I recognized perhaps only one or two of the songs in this production and that wasn't enough to hold my interest for very long.
Some of the tunes included in this production are "Honeysuckle Rose," "How Ya Baby," "Lookin' Good But Feelin' Bad," "The Joint is Jumpin'," "Black and Blue," and "Your Feet's Too Big." The cast did a great job the whole night and high praise goes out to Metcalf who banged away on the piano to perfection, backed by a small ensemble in the Music Circus pit of woodwinds, trumpet, trombone, bass and percussion.
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The Cast of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
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| Eldric Bashful |
Julia Lema |
Michael James Leslie |
| Amy Jo Phillips |
Cynthia Thomas |
Ronald P. Metcalf |
Tickets for AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' are priced at $27 to $45 depending on date and seat location. Tickets are on sale at the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office, 1419 H Street, or all Tickets.com outlets including The Wherehouse and
select Raley's. To order tickets by phone, call (916) 557-1999 or (916) 766-2277.
Next up at the Music Circus is the final production of the year - THE KING AND I (Aug. 21-27) - starring Sarah Tattersall as Anna and Paul Scheoffler as The King.
