On Jan. 15, tickets sale stood at $107,000, besting the record by more than $30,000. The Waller musical is a co-production with Arena Stage in Washington, DC. It originates in Baltimore and then will take the short trip west to Arena's capital digs. Ken Roberson directs. Raun Ruffin, Amy Jo Phillips, Janeece Aisha Freeman, Doug Eskew and E. Faye Butler are in the cast.
Ain't Misbehavin' was conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr., and Murray Horwitz, and was a huge hit on Broadway in 1978. A cast featuring Nell Carter, Ken Page, Andre De Shields, Armelia McQueen and Charlaine (now Charlayne) Woodard, sang such comical and ribald Waller creations as "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Joint Is Jumping" and the title tune. The show started at Manhattan Theatre Club before transferring to Broadway, where it played 1,604 performances. At the time, Waller's music had fallen into disuse, but the show has since ensured the enduring popularity of the pianist-composer's work.
Center Stage began its season with No Foreigners Beyond This Point, the latest by playwright Warren Leight. For ticket For information, call (410) 332-0033.