Ain’t Misbehavin’ Will Shake It Up at the Dayton Playhouse

The Dayton Playhouse is excited to heat up the house as it continues its 60th anniversary season with the sultry musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ which opens Jan. 18 and runs three weekends!A musical revue by Dayton native Murray Horwitz along with Richard Maltby, Jr., the music of Ain’t Misbehavin’, by various composers and lyricists, is named after jazz great Fats Wellers’ famous song.Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a tribute to black musicians of the 1920s and 1930s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance when high society flocked to Manhattan nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom. Normally, the show’s five performers present rowdy, uproarious, and comical tunes that envelop the feelings of that age and reflect Waller's theory that life is a journey intended for contentment and amusement. But, show director and veteran theater aficionado Dawn Roth-Smith has added two talented featured dancers, Kiersten Farmer and Nasir Peterson, to enhance the classic Fats Waller music. “It is very much an adult show that celebrates African-Americans, the Harlem Renaissance, jazz and World War II,” Roth-Smith said. “Our cast of three women and two men are exceptionally talented and no one should miss this show.”The show also features a seven-piece band directed by Ron Kindell, with Bryon Dobbs on piano. Theresa Kahle has created fabulous costumes of the era and choreographer Jeffrey Payne has put together some beautiful dances and movement for the show. Veteran lighting designer Richard Lee Waldeck brings impressive lighting design for this show.Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a show folks will not want to miss. Not only will toes be tapping but everyone will appreciate the jazz and dance of a bygone era. What better way to warm up in January than to share in the toasty, often hot, music, dance and theater provided in Ain’t Misbehavin’!Ain’t Misbehavin’ opens Friday, Jan. 18 and runs through Feb. 3 at the Dayton Playhouse. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.For tickets, call the box office at 937-424-8477. Messages can be left at any time and calls will be returned. You can also purchase tickets online at www.daytonplayhouse.com. Individual show tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors, students and military.The Dayton Playhouse is located at 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave, Dayton, OH 45414 in the Wegerzyn MetroPark. The Dayton Playhouse is a community theatre providing outstanding theatrical productions to Miami Valley audiences of all ages for more than fifty years. The Playhouse is nationally recognized for FutureFest, an annual festival of new plays.