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Co-produced with Pegasus TheatreAin't Misbehavin'
The FATS WALLER Musical Show

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Stage Review
Ain't Misbehavin'
Published Thursday 6 March 2008 at 15:40 by Andrew Blades
Ain't Misbehavin' is not quite a musical - it's more a revue. Some 30 Fats Waller tunes are crammed into just under two hours, which makes for a high quotient of hummable melodies and lyrical ingenuity.
Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company mostly executes this with panache. The band, led by experienced recitalist Dominic Harlan, doesn't languish in the pit, instead it is pushed centre stage among the singers, and they seem to relish it.
The cast themselves take a while to warm to their material, and at the beginning of this first performance there were a few tonal insecurities and mistimed steps. Hopefully these will be rectified in the subsequent run and by the time they sashayed through The Jitterbug Waltz, there was a good stage dynamic between the five performers.
The comical numbers sparkle - Your Feet's too Big, Find out what they like and Fat and Greasy form a trio of howlers in Act II, replete with razor-sharp rhymes and slapstick choreography. Just when it seems the show will end in unbounded mirth, the mournful and politically-conscious Black and blue reminds us that Harlem's Cotton Club was not all spats and saxes, but in the centre of a ghetto. It is impeccably sung in five-part harmony.
This show reminds us that Waller the composer is worthy of the company of his more celebrated contemporaries - Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin - and should appeal to anyone interested in twenties and thirties New York.


Daily Info
Ain't Misbehavin', OTTC;
Pegasus Theatre, Wed March 5th.
Last night, a little bit of Harlem came to the Pegasus Theatre as the Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company (OTTC) presented Ain't Misbehavin' - a celebration of the music of Fats Waller. Is it a musical? It's packed with music but it doesn't have a story. Is it a concert? It's continuous music but there is acting and dancing, too. The best way to describe it is five singers/actors/dancers and a terrific musical trio having a wonderful time performing music by one of the most prolific songwriters and performers of the pre-war era.

In a non-stop barrage of well-known songs (Ain't Misbehavin', T'Ain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do, Honeysuckle Rose, The Jitterbug Waltz, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, among others) the moods echo the writer's life, with swings from happy to sad, sophisticated to sleazy. The excellent cast obviously enjoy themselves and it's astonishing how five people can fill the stage so effectively.

The set is simple and highly effective; the singing is mostly good; the dancing is excellent (credit to choreographer Sue Colgrave); and the asides are frequently hilarious. Unlike some shows I've been to, I got the impression that the cast really want the audience to enjoy themselves and go out of their way to involve and amuse us.

The band deserves a special mention, especially pianist and musical director Dominic Harlan. He plays stride piano superbly (if you go to the show, try to watch his hands - they move so fast and with such precision!) and he even set himself the task of picking up a piece of music that is started by a recording of Waller himself. Even if the rest of the show hadn't been there, I'd have been happy to watch Harlan play all night.

Ain't Misbehavin' is at the Pegasus until Saturday 8th March before embarking on a tour of small theatres and village halls throughout Oxfordshire and elsewhere, until 12th April. Director Brendan Murray says that OTTC's mission is to take Big Theatre to small places. He's succeeding admirably!
Mike Smith, 06/03/08


Oxford Mail
Fat's what I call entertainment
2:40pm Thursday 28th February 2008
Talk about going out with a bang. When Brendan Murray leaves the OTTC (Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company) this year, it won't be by directing a thought-provoking tragedy or a happy family stage show - no, this will be the all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza that he has been working up to all his life.
Ain't Misbehavin' - The Fats Waller Musical Show is his idea. Brendan has been entranced by the revue since first seeing it on stage in the West End in 1979. And ever since then, he has harboured a secret urge to direct it himself.
And now's his chance. The tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and 1930s will be touring Oxfordshire's village halls with the Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company after kicking off at The Pegasus on Wednesday. And with a cast that includes some top West End names, expect to be dazzled.
"It's not something you can manage every year, but once every five years it's good to push the boat out," Brendan explains. "And yes we've got some great names performing, but they love the show too," he smiles.
"Every other year we try to do something new in the spring and Ain't Misbehavin' ties in nicely with our aim to do something more musical. But I didn't expect everyone to agree when I suggested it," he said roaring with laughter. "I just wanted to do something that would raise the roof in the village halls. Because sometimes you want to make people think and other times you want them to sing and dance and this is definitely foot-tapping stuff."
But because this is a musical and not a play, OTTC is certainly exploring new territory here. So how did it manage to tempt the big London stage names down? "I don't know. I wondered why they'd leave the bright lights for the village halls of Oxfordshire. But they want to work, they love the show and they love our musical director," Brendan replies.
As a result OTTC can now boast Sharon Wattis from The Lion King, Nigel Philips of Miss Saigon and Simone Sauphanor of Carmen Jones as three of their five singers.
Even so, with five singers and a jazz trio on board, the OTTC numbers have already doubled, so it's still a huge undertaking for such a small company. "Yes, we are running the full gamut. But it's not about the life of Fats Waller, it's about the songs he wrote and made famous - a portrait of his art, if you like.
"And you can tell he was a funny guy through his songs, although there are some touching songs in there too that are real heart-wrenchers, mainly about racism which Fats Waller still experienced - even at the peak of his fame he was still being turned away from hotels.
"But, all in all, this is a feel-good show and everyone will enjoy it," Brendan promises.
Opening at The Pegasus on Wednesday and closing on April 12 at The Theatre Chipping Norton, in between the OTTC will be touring Oxfordshire and coming to a village hall near you.
Fats Waller (1904-1943) learned to play the organ in church with his mother.
In 1927 he co-wrote a couple of tunes with his old piano teacher for a show Keep Shufflin'. Two years later he wrote the score for the Broadway hit Hot Chocolates.
Fats' most famous song, Ain't Misbehavin' was introduced in this show which featured Louis Armstrong.
Fats Waller's big break occurred at a party given by George Gershwin in 1934, where he sang and played piano.
2:40pm Thursday 28th February 2008


Oxford Times
Ain't Misbehavin', The Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company
By Angie Johnson
Thursday 13th March 2008
With their latest production, Ain't Misbehavin' - The Fats Waller Musical Show, Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company said that they were setting out to "transform Village Halls around rural Oxfordshire into Manhattan nightclubs". When I went to see them at the Pegasus Theatre I was thrilled that that was exactly what they have achieved. A terrific set by Jane Linz Roberts conjured up a smoky jazz den that encompassed the whole auditorium within its smoochy atmosphere.
This works perfectly as the production is imbued with the sexy and sultry vibe of 1920s speakeasy culture. The songs run a gamut of styles and subject from sad/bluesy, saucy/sexy, to outright hilarity. The Joint is Jumpin', I Can't Give You Anything But Love, and Honeysuckle are just three of the 20 numbers in the show; all are classics.
The cast embrace the challenge of this fast-paced show enthusiastically. Particular highlights for me were the soulful Mean to Me sung with heart-wrenching emotion by Sharon Wattis, and the side-splittingly funny Your Feet's Too Big from Nigel Phillips (pictured with Sharon). In ensemble the company were excellent, for instance, in the end of show let-it-rip' finale, or in their sophisticated renditions of social commentaries, such as Black and Blue. Musical director Dominic Harlan has melded his musicians and singers into an impressive team, who genuinely celebrate this great songwriter.
The is the last project with OTTC for artistic director Brendan Murray. He is bowing out on an incredible high and should be very proud of this bold new production. Ain't Misbehavin' is a polished and exciting show and will delight all those who come out to see it.