Drury Lane and Marriott Theatre are keeping their programming light and lively this summer by opening musical revues–Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show at Drury and Beehive: The 60s Musical at Marriott. Both are fun, fast-paced shows, but Beehive is a casual summer fling while Ain’t Misbehavin’ will stay in your heart for a while.
Directed with verve by E. Faye Butler, Ain’t Misbehavin’ had the audience fully locked in at Sunday’s opening as soon as the talented backing band took the stage and brought the New York jazz club set to life. Sharriese Y. Hamilton showcased a beautiful singing voice with good range, especially when she dropped down for a few moments to thrill the crowd in a lower register. Lorenzo Rush Jr. continues his run of show-stealing performances with a big, appealing voice to match his big, playful personality. James T. Lane, meanwhile, delivered sly comedic performances, at one point prompting a woman to literally beg for a toke off his reefer (it’s herbal, but not the kind you’re thinking). Alanna Lovely and Alexis J. Roston each had memorable solo spotlights as well.
In addition to upbeat, sometimes bawdy Waller highlights (most of which the stride piano master wrote, but all of which he recorded) “Honeysuckle Rose,” “The Ladies Who Sing with the Band,” “Lounging at the Waldorf” and “Find Out What They Like,” the show’s most powerful moment comes in the poignant second-act ensemble performance of “Black and Blue” that underscores the pain that lay beneath the surface of the music for Black performers in 1920s America.
Beehive tries for a few heart-tugging moments of its own, but does much better when sticking close to the 1960s girl-group and solo female pop and R&B hits it strings into a loose, Forrest Gump-style narrative. The middle-school principal announces JFK’s assassination, a boyfriend dies in Vietnam, there’s a music festival happening in upstate New York that sounds like it’s worth a trip. You get the picture.
These interstitial scenes consist of only a few lines, mercifully, before getting back to glossy hits including “One Fine Day,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “You Don’t Own Me,” delivered with zest by the all-woman backing band seated around the Marriott’s circular stage and well sung by Emma Grace Bailey, Grace Bobber, Lucy Godinez, Miciah Lathan, Leah Morrow and Aisha Sougou. Many in the audience for Wednesday’s opening were moved to clap and sing along to the songs of their rebellious Boomer youth.
The 90-minute one-act then segues into late-60s showcases for solo artists Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. Franklin and Turner are essayed ably by Lathan and Sougou, respectively. Bobber, though a fine singer, unfortunately veers far away from Joplin’s raw persona to deliver a schmaltzy caricature akin to a Vegas Elvis impersonator. Meanwhile, Leah Morrow employs her sunny, upbeat personality to keep the show moving briskly through each era as the jukebox grabs new numbers in rapid succession.
Both of these shows are worth catching this summer, but if you can only choose one, go with Ain’t Misbehavin’. That joint is really jumpin’.
Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show runs through August 18 at Drury Lane Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Beehive: The 60’s Musical runs through August 11 at Marriott Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Justin Barbin
