"Ain't Misbehavin'—The Fats Waller Musical Show" at Drury Lane Theatre
CHICAGO (CBS) — Step into another era and enjoy the sounds of an American musical legend as Drury Lane Theatre showcases "Ain't Misbehavin'—The Fats Waller Musical Show," and the director talks about the writer and performer's impact on American music.
"Ain't Misbehavin'" is an energetic evening that pays tribute to the almost endless list of jazz-era classics composed by the iconic Fats Waller. It's on stage through August 18.
With hits like "Honeysuckle Rose" and "The Joint is Jumpin'," Fats Waller rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance. The exuberant staging brings that era to life, and Waller's jazz-laced Tin Pan Alley songs are destined to become American classics.
What is it about Waller's music that makes it incredibly special?
"He was a classically trained musician that, at that time in America, couldn't get a job. He studied all these great composers, but nobody would let him play. And so what I think what made him brilliant is that he was smart enough to know that he could write these little ditties for Tin Pan Alley and all these clubs," said director E. Faye Butler.
She said Waller has a strong connection to Chicago because its vibrant music scene at the time mirrored what was happening in New York.
"Chicago was going through the same renaissance period that Harlem was. So Chicago was akin to being in New York. Because we had the Club DeLisa, we had the Rum Boogie Club, we had the Palm Tavern, we had the Regal Theatre," Butler said. "We had all of these magnificent clubs in Chicago, and Fats Waller loved them because he was at home.
Butler said he loved the energy derived from those spaces.
"Those elements are in this show. So, there are elements of the clubs that were all along Bronzeville's Parkway that you'll see on stage," Butler said.
Butler said when "Ain't Misbehavin" first premiered on Broadway, it was a huge success because of his musical genius.
"It was a review that had been done, a style of a review that had been done before. And it was one of those times that you went to the theater and you heard music that you hadn't heard in a long time by a genius, Fats Waller," Butler said.