Ain't Misbehavin'

Ain't Misbehavin'

TexARTS Keller Williams Studios, 2300 Lohman's Spur, 474-8497, www.tex-arts.org

Through April 17

Running time: 2 hr.

Perhaps to my shame, before I saw this musical revue I couldn't tell you much of anything about Fats Waller. I did manage to glean some things about him from watching it: He was a piano player who wrote some truly amazing songs, some of which I'd heard ("I Can't Give You Anything but Love," to name one), more of which I hadn't. As far as I could tell, Waller reached the height of his popularity sometime in the Twenties or Thirties, given his music and the abundant references to an affluent Harlem. And while my ignorance could easily be considered a hindrance to my evaluation of this TexARTS Equity production of the Seventies musical revue that made Nell Carter a star, I can tell you this for certain: You don't need to know a thing about anything to know when you're entertained.

Entertain is exactly what this production does, before all other things (which include delivering a cultural attack stunning in its simplicity). The entertainment starts with Waller's songs – jazz and rhythm & blues that make you want to do more with your feet than just tap them. You get better than two dozen of them in the evening, and almost every one a musical gem. Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz, who originally conceived Ain't Misbehavin', made the wise decision to allow Waller's music to carry the evening, and while the songs are certainly performed in a storylike fashion on a stage designed to represent a nightclub, there's little attempt to try to link them into a coherent whole; it's all about the music.

And about the five performers who give us all those songs: While some have moved away, all have strong ties to Austin, and each looks like a polished professional. Judy R. Arnold, Dorothy Mays Clark, Rodnesha Green, Quincy Kuykendall, and Devere Rogers appear to love this material and one another, and that love glows in this sweet and sexy show. Credit to director Bernard Dotson, who, along with musical director Austin Haller, not only has these five working like a fat and greasy machine (see the show, and you'll know what I mean), but his choreography is also snappy and sassy and expertly executed, especially by Green and Kuykendall. And when the five black singers sit on stools and, without embellishment, in harmony sing "Black and Blue," about wishing one's skin were a different color and the sadness accompanying that wish, you will marvel at the courage of the performers and the emotional power of the moment.

Equity rehearsal periods are short, but what you get here is five actors who look about as polished as five performers can. That's passion and commitment. And while it might have been nice to see them go even further with the almost overriding sexuality in Waller's music, what you get is titillation instead of outright sensuality, which is certainly an appropriate choice. Two hours of sublime singing and dynamic dancing at the service of incredible material: This show is a gift you'll smile your way through (and probably tap your feet, shout your approval, and even dance around in your seat a bit, too).