By Gene R. Dunaway

It opened April 25 at the Oak Ridge Playhouse and closes Sunday, May 11, and “Ain’t Misbehavin'” is a production to miss at your peril! A show of almost two hours of non-stop music, dance, and jive, I found myself struggling to remain seated and not jump up and join in the fun.

Go through the lobby doors, and you have time traveled back to Harlem during World War II. The smoky haze of a late-night club envelopes you. A lone piano player, Wendel Werner, is stroking the keys.

Presently, he is joined on stage by Alexis Tidwell, Lar’ Juanette Williams, Amy Coleman, Dann B. Black, and Tony Williams II. This ensemble, backed up by an intimate house band, explores the heights of a full-blown party to the depths of love gone wrong.

Along the way, we are treated to exceptional solos, duets, trios, quartets, and quintets. The dancing is contagious and choreographed by resident artistic director Reggie Law (a man of many talents). [Read more…]