Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...The show’s assets include its appealing group of performers, especially E. Faye Butler, a bona-fide Chicago star in her prime, who knows how to find both Waller-esque whimsy and his devastating sudden excursions into painful personal truth. You have to wait a while for Butler’s killer Act 2 rendition of “Mean to Me”—a fabulous trip up and down the very richest and fullest kind of register—but it’s wholly worth it. And from the classy Parrish Collier to the zesty John Steven Crowley and the sensual Lina Kernan to the emergent Alexis Rogers, the Goodman stage is bursting with talent and vitality."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...The Goodman Theatre's revival of "Ain't Misbehavin'," zestfully directed by Chuck Smith, has now become, like Waller himself, a larger-than-life enterprise. Smith has assembled five Chicago singer-actors with power pipes, and the plus-size personalities to match, backing them with a sensational eight-piece onstage band led by Malcolm Ruhl. Meanwhile, set designer Linda Buchanan has devised a gargantuan Art Deco "nightclub" for the action that looks more like Radio City Music Hall than an after-hours club, though it's just right for The Waldorf."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...Smith expands the production to fit the space, which set designer Linda Buchanan has transformed into an elegantly understated nightclub with a royal, gold and purple color scheme and a shimmering backdrop for the tuxedoed musicians occupying the bandstand. Add Birgit Rattenborg Wise's complementary costumes - sequined fuchsia, royal blue, lavender, emerald and turquoise gowns for the women and snazzy suits with bright ties and pocket square for the men - and you have production that looks as bright as it sounds."
SouthtownStar - Highly Recommended
"...It's not the larger staging, though, that makes this revival soar. It is the fantastic sound of Waller's finger-snapping ragtime rhythms and jazzy melodies, a smashing good orchestra and the powerhouse performances and vocal prowess of a superb cast."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...This ingenious revue of songs written and/or recorded by jazz great Fats Waller (a 1978 Broadway hit) receives a slick, rousing revival under the direction of Chuck Smith. Five immensely talented singers evoke the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance in a stream of great tunes. Most of the numbers are playfully sexy, others evoke the heartbreak of unrequited love, and a few point to Waller's demons--drinking, drug use, and weight--while the poignantly harmonized "Black and Blue" takes on the pain of racism in Andy Razaf's brilliantly understated lyric."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...as staged by director Chuck Smith, Ain't Misbehavin' also encompasses a broadness that suits this grand production. You know you're in for a reverential and rousing evening when you spot Linda Buchanan's gorgeous ringed art deco dreamscape set trimmed in gold and violets."
Chicago Free Press - Somewhat Recommended
"...Happily, the cast includes E. Faye Butler, who seems constitutionally incapable of delivering a mediocre performance. When she sings “Mean to Me,” or duets with the equally full-voiced Crowley on “Honeysuckle Rose,” we’re in music heaven. (Butler and Kernan mug a little too much on “Find Out What They Like”—the lyrics are funnier if underplayed—but their whole-hog delivery was certainly a huge crowd-pleaser.) And all five singers jell perfectly to deliver “Black and Blue,” Waller’s gut-punch indictment of racism. That number, masterfully sung and hauntingly lit, assures that this revue is not merely light-hearted entertainment."
Gay Chicago Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...The entire cast sings their hearts out, with much more rounded vocal interpretations delivered by the three thrilling women. There are many show-stopping musical numbers provided by all but the most consistently impressive work is delivered by E. Faye Butler. She steels the show with her hysterically charming humor, remarkable singing and intoxicating presence. Above all, she embodies the bawdy and irreverent comedy as well as the vulnerable humanity of Waller’s compositions."
EpochTimes - Highly Recommended
"...25 delicious songs, including ballads, ragtime, and some songs that are just plain fun are performed by Alexis Rogers, Lina Kerman, the incredible John Steven Crowley, Parrish Collier (with incredible feet) and E. Faye Butler. They make this production a musical theatrical experience as they fill the theater with music for one hour and thirty-five minutes. "
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...In a production that is as stylish and sophisticated as anything you'll find on Broadway, director Chuck Smith, musical director/conductor Malcolm Ruhl and choreographer Lisa Johnson-Willingham have fashioned a delectable evening of more than 30 rowdy, humorous and sometimes touching numbers guaranteed to please adult audiences of all ages."
HollywoodChicago.com - Recommended
"...Ain’t Misbehavin’” is a musical revue of the tunes of one of the most inspiring musicians of all time: Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller. Having influenced such musical immortals as George Gershwin, Louis Armstrong, Count Bassie and Thelonious Monk, Waller’s music was truly revolutionary. This show strives to do nothing but celebrate just that."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...overall, director Smith does nothing to make Ain’t Misbehavin’ seem like a musical worth reconsidering. If anything, this bookless, only meagerly choreographed collection of songs seems more pointless than ever in this tacky, puce-and-rust–colored afterthought of a production. It’s so sanitary the title has become an accurate description."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The big sound of the band (with terrific arrangements by Malcolm Ruhl) performing Waller’s tunes with some funny bits enhance this revue into one of the finest musical shows seen on a Chicago stage in years. This show is a blast from the past that is a rare treat."
