COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Short North Stage is celebrating the work of legendary jazz artist Fats Waller with their version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
The show is a revue of Waller’s catalog of music from the 1920s through the 1940s.
“They say you never saw him without a piano, without some food, a cigarette in his mouth, alcohol, and women around him,” said director and choreographer Lisa Glover. “This larger-than-life character wrote these songs that were hilarious but, when you broke it down, had such depth and meaning to them.”
Embracing the Prohibition Era period in which the show is set, the Short North Stage has prepared a whole speakeasy experience for theatre-goers.
“You’re going to come in through our secret speakeasy door and you’ll have to give the password,” explained Glover.
After gaining entry with the phrase "fat and greasy," audience members will be able to dance and mingle in the house and on stage before the show begins.
“Representation in theatre is so important,” said Glover. “Being a part of a black creative team and directing five black artists and knowing that someone is going to be in the audience and see that cast and say, ‘There’s a place for me in this crazy world of theatre.’ is a dream come true for me.”
Glover praised organizations like the Short North Stage that take steps to incorporate representation into their season lineups.
She continued, “I hope it encourages other theaters to do the same and see that there is a want and a need for our stories to be told and to be told properly.”
Short North Stage’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” runs through Sept. 22 at the Garden Theatre in Columbus. For more information visit: https://www.shortnorthstage.org/aint.