PLAY REVIEW

VALDOSTA – In opening “Ain’t Misbehavin'” last week, Hank Rion said Lowndes County needs this show.

The Peach State Summer Theatre artistic director is right.

Lowndes County needs this show and so do you.

“Ain’t Misbehavin'” is a bold triumph, well-deserving of the immediate standing ovation and cheers that lasted several minutes at the end of the show.

There’s usually one PSST! show that sells out its last performances and has audiences returning for repeat viewings while other people scramble for any last-minute tickets that might become available.   

“Ain’t Misbehavin'” could easily be that PSST! show this season.

From the first moment to the last, Taavon Gamble’s double duty as show director and choreographer are on full display. The show never slows but is never rushed. “Ain’t Misbehavin'” is subtitled “The Fats Waller Musical Show.” It is a revue and Gamble never forgets to showcase the songs, the lyrics, the dancing, the humor, the culture and the magic of this production.

He is aided by the resplendent costumes of Christina Johnson, the suggestive night club ambience of Ruth A. Brandvik’s set designs and the work of the entire creative team.

“Ain’t Misbehavin'” visibly reminds audiences what audibly each PSST! audience should know – a live orchestra performs the music for all Peach State shows, including Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” which opened earlier this month and “Sister Act,” which opens Friday, June 24. 

For most PSST! shows, the orchestra is located in a room on the second floor of the Valdosta State University Fine Arts Building, piped live into Sawyer Theatre. Under the direction of David Springfield, the orchestra performs on stage for “Ain’t Misbehavin.'” They are a pleasure to hear and a treasure to see.

But it’s the powerhouse cast that brings “Ain’t Misbehavin'” to life. It’s a small cast but saying it’s just a five-member cast is like saying there are just five fingers on a hand. 

Sydney Archibald, Jaymyria Etienne, Yasir Muhammad, Justin Emmanuel Parker and Rebekah Tyson present a diverse range of talents – song, dance, humor, pathos. 

This is not a traditional musical with a story line. It sets the stage for the life and times of jazz great Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller, who lived and performed in the early 20th century. Instead, each song tells a story which the cast relates through inflection of singing voice, facial expressions and choreography.

Archibald, Etienne, Muhammad, Parker and Tyson create distinctive personalities for their characters throughout the performance. Each castmember has multiple moments to shine as a solo act, in various combinations with one another and as an ensemble.

The performances are worth every clap of raucous applause and cheers expressed throughout the night.

If you miss “Ain’t Misbehavin'” you’re really missing out.

“Ain’t Misbehavin'” continues 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25, and on several other dates in rotating repertory with “Cinderella” and “Sister Act” through July 23, Sawyer Theatre, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood. More information: Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst, or call (229) 259-7770.