What's Happening in Tempe, AZ…

Ain’t Misbehavin’ is coming to the Tempe Center for the Arts this February.

Originally a Tony-award-winning Broadway play that debuted in 1978, Ain’t Misbehavin’ celebrates the timeless music of jazz pianist Fats Waller.

A pioneer of the Harlem Renaissance era of the golden age of jazz, Waller is known for his innovations in jazz and swing music during his lifetime from 1904 to 1943. His hits include Honeysuckle Rose, The Joint is Jumpin’, and the titular Ain’t Misbehavin’, the latter of which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984.

Director Dell Howlett, alongside musical director Abdul Hamid Royal, brings the musical to life with a cast of local actors, including Taylor Colleton, Keirsten Hodgens, Wilkie Ferguson III, Anthony Murphy and Aerie Williams.

In addition to the Tempe shows, the Arizona Theatre Company production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ also includes performances in Tucson and Phoenix.

This isn’t the first Broadway musical associated with Fats Waller. Though he is most known for his traditional studio hits, Waller was also involved in writing the music for a hit Broadway show in 1943 that has since fallen to obscurity, called Early to Bed.

Stage musicals like this may choose to use brochure printing for music sheets, set lists, season schedules and audience programs.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ is playing from February 21 to March 8 at the Tempe Center for the Arts at 700 W Rio Salado Pkwy in Tempe.