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Makin' the joint jump
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN, Times Staff Writer
Thomas "Fats" Waller once was called the Soul of Harlem Swing. His songs ranged from the romantic to the sultry, sarcastic to the suggestive, but he played them all with style. From the late 1920s to his untimely death of pneumonia at age 39 in 1943, Waller and his band -- he called it Rhythm and, later, Continental Rhythm -- sold hundreds of thousands of recordings, starred on radio and performed in night clubs throughout the United States and Europe. He wrote the score for the Broadway hit Hot Chocolates, which included his best-known tune, Ain't Misbehavin', sung by Louis Armstrong. That song went on to become the title for the 1978 Tony Award-winning Broadway blockbuster revue of some of Waller's more than 450 compositions. The show opens Oct. 25 at the Angel Cabaret Theatre in New Port Richey for a five-week run. The show has 31 songs: 19 written by Waller, three credited to him and the rest recorded by him and presented in his style. That includes Honeysuckle Rose, The Joint Is Jumpin', I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (later a megahit by Billy Williams), It's a Sin to Tell a Lie (later recorded by the Ink Spots), 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do and the comical Your Feet's Too Big. Director Bill Garon cast four veterans of previous Ain't Misbehavin' productions -- Bernice "Sista B" Harley, Lisa Ann Williamson, Tajuan Randolph and T. King -- and added Angel newcomer Danielle Alena Rogers to round out his five-member cast. According to a news release, Ms. Harley has played Bloody Mary in South Pacific and appeared in Mama, I Want to Sing. Ms. Williamson appeared in The Wiz, Sweet Charity and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. Ms. Rogers played Dorothy in The Wiz and was in Little Shop of Horrors and Jekyll and Hyde. King has been seen in Black Man's Bluez, Sweet and Hot and The Reincarnation of Mozart and once did backup vocals for Natalie Cole at the Apollo Theatre. Randolf played Jim in Tom Sawyer and appeared in The Civil War and Anything Goes. The show will be performed in period costume. At a glanceWHAT: Ain't Misbehavin' WHERE: Angel Cabaret Theatre, 5201 U.S. 19, New Port Richey WHEN: Oct. 25-Nov. 24. Shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays and 1:30 p.m. some Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Doors open two hours before each show for buffet and cash bar (wine and beer). TICKETS: Dinner and show, $32.50; show only, $19.95. For ages 12 and younger, $19.95 and $14.95, respectively. Call (727) 847-0019.
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From today's Pasco Times Letters |
