If I ever saw the film “Annie Get Your Gun,” it was on TV a million years ago. I saw the tv series with Gail Davis in the ‘50’s. Still, I knew so many of the songs because I listened to the LP with Ethel Merman portraying Annie Oakley. So many songs I knew- “Doin’ What Comes Naturally, You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun, Anything You Can Do, They Say it’s Wonderful” to name a few. I couldn’t wait to see this classic Irving Berlin show on the intimate stage at Act II Playhouse. I wasn’t disappointed! Every aspect was an A+. I don’t know where to begin.

            Let me start with Renee McFillin as Annie. She sings. She dances. She acts. She projects both the feminine side of Annie Oakley and the simple boyish side. And she shows us both the proud and the human side of the legendary cowgirl. She IS Annie Oakley. Move over Ethel Merman!

            Then there is Frank Butler (Michael Isaac). It is easy to portray this male sharpshooter in an over-the-top, stereotypical manner. Isaac handled it with grace and power and gave Butler a very real persona.

            I could go through each member of the ensemble and point out how good he or she was. I loved the choreography by Stephen Casey, who also directed this masterpiece. I was overwhelmed by how much he did to bring this play to life. It was a visual treat thanks to him and costume designer Janus Stefanowicz.

            As for the story, it’s a simple one. It’s about the challenge of Frank Butler by Annie Oakley in a sharpshooting contest. They develop feelings for each other but struggle to overcome the barriers of a male-female relationship of the day. The story unfolds seamlessly as we watch the many issues confronting them.

            The small ensemble surrounding Annie and Frank was great. I loved watching the two dancers (Cara Treacy and Gaby Mosely) as they danced about in the gorgeous costumes by Stefanowicz. And Dominick Sannelli was extraordinary as Charlie Davenport, the business manager of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, where Annie and Frank perform.

            This cast gave extraordinary renditions of the songs by the great Irving Berlin. Such smart lyrics. Such beautiful tunes. The performance of those songs is reason enough to see the show. I know that many of the shows are already sold out. This rendition of “Annie Get Your Gun” rivals anything you might see on Broadway for a fraction of the cost. I guarantee that you will be thoroughly entertained for every minute of this remarkable production.

“Annie Get Your Gun,” Original book by Herbert & Dorothy Fields as revised by Peter Stone. Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Avenue., Ambler, PA 19002, 215-654-0200,  act2.org   thru June 28, 2026

Real Women Have Curves” by Josefina Lopez premiered in 1990. Twelve years later, Lopez co-authored the film based on her play. Last year, a musical version played on Broadway. Bristol Riverside is bringing back the original, lively, honest story of five Latina seamstresses, struggling financially, in East Los Angeles in 1987. And though it deals with so many relevant subjects that women still face today, this production was disappointing.

            Estela runs a tiny sewing factory where her mother Carmen, her sister Ana, and two friends, Rosali and Pancha worked sewing dresses. Estela (Regina Carregha) is in debt. She not only owes money for the sewing machines, but must also raise money to pay legal expenses to defend her being in this country. Unlike the others, she doesn’t have her green card because she had been arrested for trying to “abduct a lobster.” But if she can create 100 dresses by the end of the week for a client, there is hope for her and the factory.

            She is one of the eight children of Carman (Adela Romero), who couldn’t fend off her husband’s sexual advances and chose to gain weight and get fat to hopefully make him lose interest in her.

            Estela’s younger sister Ana (Luana Psaros) has just graduated from high school and is working for her.  Ana hates this menial work and wants to go to college, but she needs financial aid. A young feminist, also overweight, she journals regularly when she sneaks off to the bathroom.

            Pancha (Ava Sofia Mattox) is a large woman who laments that she is unable to have kids. When Carmen suggests she might be pregnant again, Pancha says she will gladly raise the kid if it is true.

            Finally, there is Rosali, who is always dieting. She is the only one of the five who is not significantly overweight. She, like the others except Ana, feel that the only way to catch a man is to be shapely.

            They all work hard. Ana learns how to iron. Carman goes out on a date. They swoon over a magazine showing naked couples engaging in sex. So why did I have so much trouble enjoying this show? Simple. The actors were talking at each other, not to each other. There was no subtlety.  The meaning of Lopez’s script did not come through amidst the ranting. Few were laughing at the comic lines of the play. I saw many in the audience nodding off. I was bored with this rather heavy-handed interpretation by Director Leyma Lopez.

            At the act break (which seemed eternally long to reach), when I was in the rest room line, I talked with others who told me that it was a struggle to understand what the actors were saying. I had that problem too and only discovered much of the plot by reading about it online later. When I returned to the theater for the second act, I saw many empty seats.

            The second act WAS better, as the women come to grips with their bodies, and as they blast men for their sexist views of women, I enjoyed it more. But the show on the Bristol Riverside stage does not show the feelings inside these women. Read the play. It is very good. “Real Women Have Curves” by Josefina Lopez at Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol, PA 19007, 215-785-0100, brstage.org,  thru June 14,, 2026

The Wilma Theater has brought to its stage to close its 2025-26 season a most unusual play by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks. “The America Play” follows a Black impersonator of Abraham Lincoln, as he runs a very strange tourist attraction and takes us on a most surrealistic view of America.

Nine years later, she would write “Topdog/Underdog,” the play that won her the Pulitzer. It is about two African-American brothers, Lincoln and Booth, as they deal with racism, poverty, and other issues and Lincoln earns a living as a whiteface Abraham Lincoln impersonator.

The primary character in this play is a Black grave digger who resembles Lincoln and goes by the name Foundling Father. He charges customers a penny to be there for the reenactment of Lincoln’s assassination. They pull the trigger with a fake gun, and he goes into a sort of comic routine with his arms before he “dies.” Some return weekly to pull the trigger.  It’s rather weird but so is the whole play. In fact, it appears that he often wishes he were Abraham Lincoln.

            In the first act, Foundling Father (Lindsay Smiling, who also directed the play) tells us that he has dug 723 graves. That’s how he has made a living. But he wants more and leaves his family and heads west with a trunkful of beards and his black coat and stove pipe hat. He calls Lincoln “The Great Man” and refers to himself as “The Lesser Man.”  He portrays the president so well that some say, “he ought to be shot.”

En route, he gives us a sort of history lesson, the thrust of which is that history is created by the recorders of history rather than by the actual people. Who gets to be remembered is determined by the writers who are often very biased. But he says it’s all a preface and will be rewritten many more times. As for Foundling Father himself, he’s learned things by digging those graves where he imagined different stories about so many famous people. But he is still searching. He wants his own fame and sets up The Hall of Wonders, a sort of Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. He claims to have a bone from Washington’s leg and also, the president’s wooden teeth. After all, what is the truth?

The second act of the play is about his son, Brazil’s (Brandon J. Pierce) quest for answers. He was deserted by his father when he was only five. He searches for the man but also searches for meaning in life which his father cannot provide since he has died.

There is so much that is talked about in this play, and I will confess- I did not follow all of it. It is most existential and often seems rather abstract. I often don’t get the meaning of modern poems, and I don’t relate to many works of abstract art. Be prepared to listen to lots of talk on what it means to be an American today. In the mostly monologue first act and the dialogue between Brazil and his mother Lucy (Kimberly S. Fairbanks) in the second act, there is a lot to absorb in his search for answers.

What does it take to become a great man? Parks gives us a most unique philosophical look at life as we think we know it, while providing a variety of comic moments and a look at history through an alternate lens.

“The America Play” by Suzan-Lori Parks at The Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-546-7824  wilmatheater.org    Thru May 31, 2026

I was contacted by a guy named Joshua Crone last month because he wanted me to see and review his play, “Waiting for Westy” at Yellow Bicycle Theater. I had never heard of this theater which is located on the second floor of a building at Arch and 15^th Street. I learned that this is their tenth show and its their first Barrymore-eligible show. It deals with a South Philadelphia VFW Post and a rift between the veterans on how and why the war in Vietnam was fought, and whether or not to let General William Westmoreland (the commander of the forces in Vietnam from 1964-68) attend the memorial.

            Anyone who was alive during that period will be fascinated as they relive so many moments in the history of the war. More fascinating is the argument between Skipper (Richard Roddy) and Doc (Thoeger Hansen) at the Post as they argue about the very merits and demerits of that war. Doc was a medic and he defends the decision made by Westmoreland and others for being in Vietnam to stop Communism from infiltrating the country. Skipper, who was severely injured during the war with shrapnel in his legs, scoffs at the ideas behind the U.S. participation in that war. He opposes letting Westmoreland to the Post for a drink during the time in 1987 when they were erecting a memorial for those who died in the war.

            Then, there is Froggie. An alcoholic and a drug user, he is not coping with what he witnessed in the war. Though it is not mentioned, he is clearly struggling with PTSD.

            The fourth character in this story written for the stage by Joshua Crone, who also portrays Froggie, is Aki. Aki (Lenny Ramos) is the son of a veteran of the war who was a friend of Froggy’s. Aki has brought a video that his father left him before he died. It is of testimony from the veterans of the war. He is also an Indian (Native American). It is clear that his father first thought it was a noble cause to fight for his country, but then, realizing what the struggle was about, reversed his stance.

            The four of them argue, they challenge each other, they give us an abbreviated history of the times… and they drink. But the core of the play is not just about their experiences, but what they and the rest of Americans were told about the battles and their supposed successes. While they argue, they play pool and Skipper even throws darts at a dartboard. There was a picture of Jane Fonda in the center.

            When I was 17, I heard that the Viet Cong (the Communist North Vietnamese) had attacked American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. I was infuriated and had no problem when our government suddenly escalated our offensive there. But in time, it was revealed about the lies we were being told by our military and our government. We learned later that we were NOT attacked! And when we were attacked with their Tet offensive, Americans were shocked because they thought we were winning the war and it was only a matter of time. Westmoreland had lied about so many things.

            There are video projections shown on a curtain from those days as we watch testimony of veterans who report of the atrocities and massacres of the Vietnamese. There are also excerpts from films like “The Green Berets,” that glorify our presences in Vietnam.

            I loved the banter between Skipper and Doc, though it was a bit heavy on the information, which I am not sure anyone not of that generation would follow. And then, when Froggie enters, it gets more confused as Crone spoke softer than the others much of the time and I missed his stuff. And when Aki comes on, he sits and talks with his back to the audience, and I missed much of what he said as well. Later in the play, when he was turned around, I caught every word of the powerful story of what he revealed about his father.

            The other problem I had with the play was the sound during many of the projections as the actors were talking at the same time. .

            Be prepared to move, as the play takes place in three locations on the second floor of the building. Two of the scene-breaks are also act breaks where you can purchase a beverage at the on-stage bar of the VFW.

            This is a long review of a play with a very short run. I saw a preview and it closes next weekend. Anyone who lived through those times will be enthralled, and if the younger folks living through the perils of the War in Iran follow it, they will see the parallels.

Waiting for Westy” by Joshua Crone at Yellow Bicycle Collective, 1435 Arch Street, 2^nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (entrance on 15^th Street) 267-709-8015,  yellowbicycle.org, Thru May 31, 2026.

Benjamin Franklin was such a prominent figure in America’s story. He was an inventor. He was a writer and publisher. He was a diplomat. He was one of the signers of The Declaration of Independence. His son William, born out of wedlock, was a colonial governor of New Jersey and a British Loyalist. “Franklinland,” a play by Lloyd Suh about the troubled relationship between father and son, opened off-Broadway in 2024 and is now making its Philadelphia debut at Lantern Theater.

            The play consists of six scenes, spanning over 30 years, beginning in 1752 with Franklin’s kite flying experiment. Father and son are working together, William adoring his father.  Benjamin explains to his son that power is in human hands, not God’s hands as they work on attaching the ribbon and key to the kite. William works to absorb all that his father tells him, hoping to emulate him in every way.

            We see the clever inventions. Benjamin Franklin is developing including the urinary catheter We realize that it was he who coined the term “Gulf Stream.” We watch as he refuses to wear a wig like the others. He jokes about sex. He belittles New Jersey. But one thing is clear in Suh’s interpretation- Benjamin Franklin is a narcissist who ALWAYS thinks he is right because he IS Benjamin Franklin!

            Franklin tells his son that he has acquired land in Nova Scotia. Naming it Franklinland, he hopes to move there with his son some day while he opens the place up for scientists, inventors, and dreamers like himself. It is a most intriguing story. But in time, conflicts develop between father and son.

            It begins when Franklin breaks up the engagement of his son and tries to select a bride for him. In fact, he seeks to control every aspect of his son’s life. William is so disgusted with his father’s treatment and interference that when William is appointed Governor General of New Jersey, he insists that his father call him “your excellency.” But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

            In a later scene, Franklin is not sure where he stands at first regarding a possible revolution and is feeling personally insecure. He seeks his son’s help in repealing the Stamp Act, to regain the faith of his countrymen. It isn’t happening, as William is faithful to the King of England.

`           The play though, is less about politics than it is about the deteriorating relationship between a father and his son. I was fascinated as I watched them quarrel but also learned new things about the history of my country. Director Charles McMahon did an outstanding job of telling this story superbly acted by Frank X and Dave Johnson as father and son. It flowed seamlessly from scene to scene. I couldn’t wait to get home to read more about the Franklins. Was I in for a shock!

            Playwright Lloyd Suh tells us in the very informative program that this is not a history lesson. “I gave myself permission pretty early on to deviate in certain ways from the historical record, but I wanted everything to be rooted in the truth.” Often, I suggest that the theater goer read the program before the show begins. If you are seeking a story that is a finely crafted historical tale, this is not for you. On the other hand, this presentation is so entertaining in its often-realistic approach and comic approach, that I recommend that you just see and enjoy “Franklinland” and read the program later.

“Franklinland” by Lloyd Suh at Lantern Theater Company at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. 215-829-0399   lanterntheater.org   thru June 7, 2026

“The Woman Question”- that’s the title of the play. With such a title, it can be about so many things, I thought. In fact, this is a world premier of a play that takes place at the end of the 19^th century as the Class 1894 arrives at the Women’s College of Pennsylvania, the first medical school exclusively for women. It is a diverse group with students coming from Japan, Syria, and Russia as well as a Native-American from Nebraska and an African American from Georgia. It promised to be most interesting to me as my daughter, born prematurely, was a patient there.  Sadly, the play didn’t work for me for many reasons.

            From the very beginning, there is a ton of exposition about the school. Many of the actors talked so fast that I didn’t get half the information they were trying to relate. I did enjoy the way they appeared on stage at first, climbing out of cabinets and coming through closet doors. And I loved that they called each other “Doctor.” I liked that they told each other, “you belong,” indirectly referring to the way men were dismissive of women as doctors.

But then, they started speaking rapidly again and I didn’t know what was going on most of the time. “Show me, don’t tell me,” I wanted to scream out. The best scene in the play was the class on dissection, where we watched them pull organs from a body that was portrayed by one of the students.

I asked my friend who sat beside me, and she understood less than I did. And at the act break, I asked a young man in the audience, and he told me that he zoned out often because he couldn’t hear and follow the tedious narration.

            That is not to say I missed it all. I understood the backgrounds of most of those women who told how they arrived at the school. The one of the Indian woman (Avanthika Srinivasan), is most powerful. I followed the long discussion of their views on the female bodies they worked on, particularly regarding the illegality of abortion. And I loved when Melanye Finister and Suli Holum, the two mentors at the medical school, stepped out of character and told us what they went through during their pregnancies and deliveries… But every time the group of students got together to talk, they rambled on so fast that I didn’t follow most of their talk. And I rarely understood more than a few words of Sasha, the Russian woman. In addition, I thought the play wandered at times and tried to do too much. I can pick apart so much of the play but just let me say that the 2+ hours in the theater felt twice as long.

I always look forward to People’s Light productions, but this new show was not written well and was presented poorly. The playwright, Suki Holum, is a talented artist and this is an important subject. I hope she rewrites what they are calling this, a “docu-fantasy.”

“The Woman Question” by Suki Holum at People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, PA 19355, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org  Thru May 24, 2026

Some of us keep journals to record and remember our past.  Others take pictures. Often a book or even a post card ignites memories. For Jackie Soro and Pax Ressler, it was their dolls. In particular, it was the dolls produced by American Girl that they started collecting in the 1990’s. Now, some 30 years later, they are reflecting on what they believed then and what they think now of those times. Bearded Ladies Cabaret in partnership with Fringe Arts has on its stage for a brief run, the play by and starring Jackie Soro and Pax Ressler, “Girl Dolls: The American Musical.”

            The key word in the title beside girl and doll, is the word American. Not only is it a brief history thru the history of that dollmaker, it is also a look at what it is to be an American girl.

            It begins with the two performers on stage sharing the meanings of the many dolls they’ve had over the years. They even give us a brief history behind the era these dolls represented. Kirsten is a Swedish immigrant from the 1850’s. Samantha is a well-to-do orphan from the beginning of the 20^th century.  And Molly is a girl from the 1940’s. These were to be alternatives to the sexualized Barbie dolls.  Soro and Ressler show us the dolls but also become them through quick costume changes. They are so happy as they try to emulate the dolls. And the play is accompanied by beautiful representations on the back wall of them in family pictures and movies. But there is more that is not so upbeat.

            This is history but it is selective history. There is no representation of poverty, of abuse, or of racism. When finally, American Doll creates Addy Walker, a Black doll, it will be years before it creates another Black doll. Black kids are forced to play with and nurture white dolls. And there are clearly no dolls that represent transgender individuals. Soro is mixed race and Ressler is transfemme.

            The two performers talk to each other and talk to us as their story unfolds. They also talk to their dolls… who will eventually talk back to them and at them, forcing them to face the realities of the lives these women imagined for themselves.

            Watching them on stage is a visual treat as they maneuver the different costumes and we listen to their stories- so powerful and so real. Lest I forget, this is a musical, so much of the story is revealed through songs created by this talented pair. The 3-piece band on the stage is excellent.

            This is so much more than a play about dolls. It is a play about identity and what it means to accept who we are. This World Premiere event, directed by MK Tuomanen is a unique history and moving memoir that is presented in just 75 minutes and will leave you breathless!

“Girl Dolls: The American Musical” at Fringe Arts, 140 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-413-1318,  https://fringearts.com/event/girl-dolls-the-american-musical/, Thru May 17, 2026.   

            Cirque du Soleil is a Canada based performance troop that has traveled around the world for over 40 years. The name is a French one and it translates as “circus of the stars.” With extraordinary acrobatic performances and most imaginative settings, it stresses characters and tells stories that are real and imaginary. Their show in Oaks, Pennsylvania, about 15 minutes from the King of Prussia Mall, is called “Luzia,” and it takes you on a dreamlike journey to Mexico. That’s what the press release says. I did not dream. I watched in awe at what the 45 or so men and women from more than a dozen countries did on that stage, under that tent that Cirque du Soleil brings with it to its venues.

            When I was asked if I wanted to review the show, I was hesitant because it wasn’t theater in the traditional sense. But a week earlier, I had reviewed “Ain’t Misbehavin’’” at Theatre Horizon and that wasn’t traditional either- it was a review. “Luzia” is also a review of some 20 different acts. There are poles and ropes and swings as well as a pouring rain forming a sort of rain curtain, with lights and colors creating images on the rain. There are amazing acrobats, dancers, athletes, and even a contortionist doing their routines. You can’t and you won’t take your eye off the performances lest you miss something.

            I was overwhelmed with the heavy rain they created but I realized that the stage they were performing on was built by Cirque du Soleil and travels with them along with the tent arena that seats well over 2000 visitors.

            There is hoop diving. There is an amazing juggler. There is an extraordinary contortionist, the likes of which I’ve never seen. There are men manipulating soccer balls. But most of the acts were about the strength and agility of the performers as they flew high through the air and caught one another. What aerialists! Such coordination. Such strength. I don’t know how they could manage such extraordinary feats.

            And though there are no animals (Cirque du Soleil never used animals in their circuses like Ringling Brothers did), there was a clown. He was not wearing silly clothes. He did not wear layers of makeup. He was just an ordinary man… Wait, did I say ordinary? He was extraordinary in so many different scenes, whether he was interacting with the audience without words or with the rain. His comedic acts were so much fun to watch. He was a sort of connector between the scenes.

            This was theater in its highest form. No words. No one talking to us. Extraordinary music from their 6-piece band. Gorgeous costumes. Just a dazzling visual display that is a treat for all audiences.

“Cirque du Soleil 2026: Luzia” at Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave., Oaks, PA 19456,  www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia, Thru June 7, 2026

The press release says that “Homo Economicus” is a “multi-disciplinary performance featuring music, striptease, and heaps of garbage.” The venue is God’s Automatic Body & Spa in West Philadelphia. Even the title of the play and the producer (Obvious Agency) was strange. Clearly, I had no idea what to expect. When I arrived at what I thought was the venue, I saw only a house in the middle of other row houses. But a sign said that the entrance was in the back. When I entered through the back door, I saw about eight rows of chairs, five seats in each row, with a little raised stage in the front.

            When the show begins, Emily Bate, the actor and writer of “Homo Economicus,” comes to the stage and pulls a book entitled, “Economics,” from the bookshelf which she tells us is filled with econ books. It seems we are in an Economics 101 class and she is the professor.  She then quotes from a half dozen famous writers on the subject- all men and all capitalists. She even dresses as a man in one bit.

            In the next 70 minutes, she explains how the self-interests of a handful of egomaniacal men developed theories that served their own interests to make them richer and created what we call economics. But she does it in quite unusual ways. In one segment she asks two members of the audience whether they would spend $5 or $6 on a bucket of empty plastic water bottles if they knew that the more expensive bottle was sold by a place that supported a minimum wage. Crazy, huh?

She demonstrates how costs increase exponentially by charging a guy in a chair for a lap dance starting at a dollar a minute and increasing exponentially every minute. She asks us how we would change the economy if we could. Mostly, she talks about how she feels about the abuse of capitalism. And she does it with well-placed jokes and music. The audience, much younger than I usually see in theaters, ate it up. For me, it was like preaching to the choir as I didn’t need to be convinced by Bate’s play. I do wish that economics was taught to me this way when I was in school. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation by the talented Emily Bate.

Finally, I am quoting here from Wikipedia about the meaning of the title. “Homo economicus, or “economic man,” is a theoretical model in economics depicting humans as rational, self-interested agents who consistently make decisions to maximize utility (satisfaction or profit) while possessing full information. It represents an idealized actor, not necessarily realistic human behavior, used to model economic choices.”

“Homo Economicus” by Emily Bate at Obvious Agency performed at God’s Automatic Body and Spa, 5522 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19143, 856-338-8272, www.handstamp.com/e/homo-economicus, Thru May 10, 2026

The spirit of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s and 30’s comes to life on the Theatre Horizon stage this Spring with the production of the Tony Award winning musical revue, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” With more than 25 songs, an ensemble of five, and a six-piece band, it’s a very unique look at the world of jazz from 100 years ago, featuring the work of Fats Waller among others. Black musicians and singers reshaped music with a new sound and this 1978 show put together by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz ran on Broadway for four years.

            The show is a tribute to Fats Waller who wrote many of the songs and performed all of them during his brief life. He performed regularly across the country and in Europe, before World War II (he died in 1943 at the age of 39).

            Known for his songs “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Honeysuckle Rose,” he copyrighted over 400 other songs. This amazing ensemble on the Theatre Horizon stage sang many of them but also sang songs of the era that Waller himself played in his concerts. The women were dressed in beautiful sequined dresses. It was visual treat.

            What was especially fun to watch was the easy rapport amongst the actors. Director Amina Robinson did a great job in guiding them to both subtle and not so subtle representations of their constant flirting.

            Another aspect of the production that worked perfectly was the miking of the singers. Recently, I have been to a few musical shows where the miking was not adjusted so that you could make out the lyrics. But in this show, the band played softly enough so that you can hear the lyrics of all these wonderful classic songs of the Harlem Renaissance. And what singers they were! I can’t imagine anyone better. The friend who accompanied me and loves the show and has the CD of the original Broadway production, told me that the singers in the Horizon show were as good as those in the original Broadway production.  One of them, Curtis Harris, was also a joy to watch with his flexibility and wild dance moves.

Kudos to Choreographer Eliana Pinckney for moving the singers about as they sang their songs as solos, duos, trios, and with the full ensemble. “The Joint is Jumpin,’ Black and Blue, You’re Driving Me Crazy, Ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do, The Viper’s Drag “…  I could go on and on. They were all great.

            This not a musical in the traditional sense in that there is no thru story line.  It’s review. It’s one song after another with little linking them except the time and place. But what a review!

“Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show” A musical revue with a book by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz with music by Fats Waller and others at Theatre Horizon, 401 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA 19401, 610-283-2230, Ticket@TheatreHorizon.org  Thru May 17, 2026.