IF YOU GOWhat: "Ain't Misbehavin'."When: 7:30 p.m. Monday.Where: Athens City Middle School, 200 Keith Lane, Athens, Tenn.Admission: $21 adults, $11 students.Phone: 423-745-8781.Website: www.athensartscouncil.org.
Athens Area Council for the Arts' Big Time/Small Town Performance Series continues Monday with the Fats Waller musical "Ain't Misbehavin'."
Considered extraordinary for its sheer exuberance, "Ain't Misbehavin' " pays tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and '30s who were part of the Harlem renaissance. It was a time when Manhattan nightclubs were the playgrounds of high society, and Lenox Avenue dives were filled with piano players banging out the new beat known as swing.
In the musical, five performers and a six-piece band will present an evening of rowdy, raunchy and humorous songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era and reflect Waller's view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play.
Its 30 showstopping numbers include "Honeysuckle Rose," "Squeeze Me," "Your Feets Too Big" and "That Ain't Right."
Snazzy period costumes, complete with bowlers and spats, ermine and pearls, will help set the mood for the rollicking party.
"Ain't Misbehavin' " opened on Broadway in 1978, winning three of its five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. A 1988 Broadway revival was a Best Musical nominee.