Stages St. Louis production of Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' opens June 1

Stages St. Louis will present a revival of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' beginning at 8:00 p.m., Friday, June 1 and continuing through Sunday, July 1 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre, 111 S. Geyer Rd. in Kirkwood.

The show, which premiered on Broadway in 1978 and was one of the first successful examples of the now ubiquitous jukebox musical, is built around performances of well-known songs associated with Waller, including the title tune, "The Joint Is Jumpin'," "Lounging at the Waldorf," "Honeysuckle Rose," and many others. The original Broadway production included St. Louis native Ken Page in its cast, and won both the Tony and Drama Desk awards for best musical.

The cast for Stages' production of the show includes Raena White, Willena Vaughn, Eric Lajuan Summers, Dwelvan David and Wendy Lynette Fox. The band, which appears on stage as part of the show, will be led by pianist Adaron “Pops” Jackson, who also has a named role as "Luther," after Luther Henderson, pianist and musical director for the original Broadway cast. The band also will include Jason Swagler (alto sax), Kendrick Smith (tenor sax), Cody Henry (trombone), Matt Bittles (trumpet), Jahmal Nichols (bass) and Bernard Long, Jr. (drums). Stages' co-founder and artistic director Michael Hamilton is directing the show, with Lisa Campbell Albert as musical director.

After the opening weekend, Ain't Misbehavin' will play Tuesdays through Sundays until the conclusion of the run. Tickets are priced from $55 to $35, and are available in advance by phone at 314-821-2407 or online at www.stagesstlouis.org. Stages also offers $15 student/senior rush tickets, which are sold at the box office just before showtime if seats are available.