The Derby Dinner Playhouse was jumping last Thursday night during “Ain’t Misbehavin.’” Nearly each song in the musical — a collection of songs by Fats Waller, the legendary pianist who wrote and sang during the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s — received cheers and hoots from the packed playhouse. This audience — a lot of whom may actually have listened to Waller’s music in their youth — was easy to please, and the quintet of performers seemed happy to oblige.
The five singers danced, shimmied and glided over the stage — which was circular with a small band situated in a recessed part in the middle. Toe-tapping numbers such as the title song and “The Joint is Jumpin’” were apt showcases for the three women and two men, who eased through most of Waller’s compositions. Except for “Black and Blue?” and “Mean to Me,” some slower numbers lacked the flair of the faster pieces. This, however, did not detract.
The singers also had opportunities for duets and solos. One of the most memorable solos was “The Viper’s Drag.” For this number about marijuana — quite racy for the playhouse — Gregory Green twisted and contorted his body like a snake in absinthe-green light while blowing smoke in the air. Bakari Jamal King was exuberant in “Your Feet’s Too Big,” a number about a man who will not date a woman because her body’s extremities get in the way. Yvette Nichols and Green gave sassy performances in “Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do.” Fredena J. Williams turned in a rousing “Cash For Your Trash,” a song about recycling trash for the war effort. Altamiece Carolyn Ballard was coquettish and girly in “Squeeze Me,” and she and Williams were wonderfully suggestive as they sang about how to keep men happy in “Find Out What They Like.”
While the men wore red, blue and brown suits, fedoras and spats or shiny wing-tips, the women were clothed in shapeless dark blue, red or purple dresses that did little to flatter their full figures. A bejeweled hat with feathers or a faux fur stole added some much needed pizzazz. In a good turn, costume designer Butch Sager gave Green a “P. Diddy-look” in the second act.
Directing and staging the high-spirited musical on a circular stage — with no access to the middle — was likely a challenge. Director Jim Hesselman and choreographer Barbara J. Cullen moved the performers around the circle as well as could be expected. Each audience member listened to at least one song while watching the performers’ backs — no small feat considering that the audience is seated on all sides of the stage.
The live band, directed by Bill Corcoran, was equally wonderful. It did not overpower the performers, and was fun to watch.
Was the Derby Dinner Playhouse transformed into The Cotton Club? Not quite, but the attempt was successful on several levels — enough to make the production full of Fats’ signature “jam, jive and everything.”
