Circle Theatre is bringing back its celebration of Fats Waller's music, with “Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical Show” running October 1 through October 25 on the Fort Worth company's mainstage. The musical revue returns after a popular run in a more intimate setting, and this time it moves into a bigger room while keeping its nightclub atmosphere intact.
Circle Theatre describes the show as returning by popular demand, moving from the Velvet Lounge to the mainstage, according to Circle Theatre. The production is staged at the company's home at 230 W. Fourth St. in downtown Fort Worth, as listed by fwtx.com. As reported by the Dallas Morning News, the show maintains the look and feel of a nightclub even in its new mainstage home, with a cast of five performing songs that portray Harlem Renaissance archetypes, including a party hound, a woman of the world, an innocent ingenue and a sassy, confident diva.
A Familiar Face Returns as Fats
J. Dontray Davis is back in the role of Fats Waller, having portrayed the bandleader in Circle Theatre's earlier production, per the Dallas Morning News. The revue is directed by Khira Hailey, with musical direction by Cherish Love Robinson and choreography by Kiandra Brooks, according to a review from Onstage NTX. That same review describes Davis leading the ensemble as the jovial Fats alongside Davian Jackson, Janette Robinson, Crystal Williams and Micaela E. Workman.
“Ain't Misbehavin'” is a Tony Award-winning 1978 musical revue with a book by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz, celebrating the music of Fats Waller and the Harlem Renaissance, according to fwtx.com. The show takes its name from one of Waller's best-known compositions, per the Dallas Morning News.
Who Was Fats Waller
Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller was a Harlem Renaissance jazz musician who learned stride piano from James P. Johnson and went on to help innovate the style during the early swing era, the Dallas Morning News reports. He wrote and recorded hundreds of songs and was known for live shows featuring witty banter paired with intense stride piano playing. Waller died of pneumonia in 1943 at age 39, according to the same report.
Cocktails and VIP Tables Come With the Show
For audiences who want more than a seat, the production offers VIP table seating with cocktail service throughout the performance. Those VIP packages include exclusive cocktail service, a signed commemorative photo and other perks, fwtx.com notes. The format echoes the show's earlier run, when two- and four-top tables offered a cabaret-style experience with cocktail service, as described in the Onstage NTX review — though that intimate staging, confined to just 12 performances with 45 seats per night according to Circle Theatre, surrounded the stage with audience seating on all sides in a way the mainstage version may not replicate.
A Theater Rethinking Its Season
The revival lands as Circle Theatre works through a bumpier stretch. Theater leaders have said the company is exploring the best types of shows to produce moving forward to ensure its long-term success, according to the Fort Worth Report. Recent attendance has been uneven: the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Rent” sold out, while the buddy comedy “King James” drew few tickets, per the same report. Circle Theatre also dropped “Jagged Little Pill,” “I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” and “The Leopard Play” from its 45th season, with the Fats Waller revue named as one of two replacement shows familiar to Fort Worth audiences and quick to stage. The Fort Worth Report also notes that the theater's 2024 tax filings showed expenses of $848,587 against revenue of $706,994.
