SWING into 2020 with the Musical AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' @ Lehman Center, Saturday, January 18th

from Leah Grammatica

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts and GOYA FOODS is proud to present AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, the exciting Tony Award winning musical tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and 1930s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, on Saturday, January 18th, 2020 at 8pm. Ain’t Misbehavin’ encompasses more than thirty show-stopping swinging musical numbers like “The Joint is Jumpin’” and “Honeysuckle Rose” that take the audience on a journey not only through the Thomas “Fats” Waller song book, but through Harlem and New York in its heyday where the high-steppers partied, from honky-tonk dives to the Cotton Club, from Tin Pan Alley to the Waldorf. The show is an evening of rowdy, raunchy, and humorous songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era and reflect Fats Waller’s view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play! Produced by Irving Street Rep. Directed by Emmy Award winner A. Curtis Farrow. Musical Director Darius Frowner.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ on Saturday, January 18th, 2020 at 8pm are $45, $40, $35, $25, and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 4pm on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. Sponsored by Havana Café Restaurant and Goya Foods. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low-cost on-site parking available for $5.

In 1978 AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, the exuberantly entertaining musical crafted from the songs of Thomas “Fats” Waller, swung onto Broadway to marvel audiences through more than a thousand performances and win the Tony Award for Best Musical. It is a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance, an era of creativity, cultural awareness, and ethnic pride. Originally conceived by Richard Malty, Jr. and Murray Horwitz, the show keeps the pace moving through musical skits rather than a complicated narrative. The delightful humor and infectious energy of this American original will be brought to the Lehman Center stage by the Irving Street Rep. The production features a pianist and five skilled performers that bring to life the nuanced layers of the songs that includes some colorful and humorous bantering between the singers. With snazzy period costumes, complete with bowlers, spats, ermine and pearls, the musical turns the theater into a rollicking good-time party that highlights the intoxicating music of “Fats” Waller― Harlem-style swing that bridged Ragtime and Mid-century jazz idioms. Act 1 bursts opens with the title song “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and gets the joint jumpin’ with tunes like “Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do”, “Squeeze Me”, “Handful of Keys”, and “Jitterbug Waltz”. The lively second Act sparkles from the opener “Spreading Rhythm Around” through tunes like ”Vipers Drag”, “Your Feets Too Big”, and “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now” to the sultry “Black and Blue”. The Finale features songs such as “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter”, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”, and the iconic “Honeysuckle Rose”. The over thirty songs of this musical revue is a roaring good time and will delight and energize audiences as well as provide insight into a vibrant time in Harlem’s history and music. The five-member cast features Dawn Marie Driver, Tony Perry, Anita Welch, Ron Lucas, Melvinna Rose, and Musical Director Darius Frowner on piano. Directed by A. Curtis Farrow and produced by Irving Street Rep.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts spectacular 2019-2020 Season celebrates 40 Years of Excellence in the Center’s newly renovated, 2,278 spacious seat concert hall, with a redesigned entrance, lobby, and elevator accessible balcony. Lehman Center is one of New York’s top nonprofit performing arts centers and the Bronx’s largest entertainment venue serving over 200,000 audience members each season. Eva Bornstein, who is beginning her fifteenth season as Executive Director of Lehman Center, says, “During this milestone year, Lehman Center proudly welcomes audiences and community members to the top entertainment destination in the Bronx, which is now better than ever. The improvements that have been made will help ensure the comfort and convenience of all who attend our world class performances and events. Funding for the 15.4-million-dollar renovation was in part provided by the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature, the Bronx Delegation of the New York City Council, and the Office of the Bronx Borough President. Additionally, we will be continuing our “Take Your Seat” fundraising campaign, which will give you a chance to be a part of Lehman’s history by purchasing a tax-deductible seat(s) in your name or a loved one.”

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2019-2020 Season is also made possible through the sponsorships by Goya Foods, The New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, the New York State Council on the Arts, Con Edison, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Havana Café, and the Friends of Lehman Center. (from )

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