FOX21's Meaghan Collier talks with cast members from the musical review, "Ain't Misbehavin'.'"
Read more: Local, Community, Entertainment, Ain't Misbehavin, Ruben Studdard, Pikes Peak Center, Arthur W. Marks, Patrice Covington, Trenyce Cobbins, Morning Show, Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- "Ain't Misbehavin'" originally opened on Broadway in 1978 and instantly made history.
This musical revue won every award a musical can win in a Broadway season, and now, for its 30th anniversary, the show is touring the country to remind everyone of the life and culture surrounding jazz icon Fats Waller.
"It's loosely based on the life of Fats Waller," Frenchie Davis said. "Each of us plays a different part of his life. I'm the raunchy part, and I love it. The show's amazing and Reuben sounds amazing,"
She sounds good, too.
"Well, yah, of course," she said.
And while the show features several former American Idol contestants, including Season Two winner Rueben Studdard, there's a lot more to love in this show than just the "Velvet Teddy Bear."
"I did American Idol and this show is completely different than Idol," Trenyce Cobbins said. "And I love that about it. This is a completely different piece of us. You see a wide range of emotion -- you could never get that on Idol. It broadens our horizons as entertainers."
Ain't Misbehavin' is most easily characterized as a musical revue. It's set in a trying time in American history -- Harlem in the 1930s.
"Fats had an interesting way of approaching social issues," Arthur W. Marks said. "He took on sexism, racism and classism and he did it through music and humor."
Davis agreed.
"It's weird playing that era, " she said. "It was a time that we as stars wouldn't even be able to enter in the front door. Our name would be on the marquee, but we'd have to go in through the bathroom. It's weird reliving those times."
And for each of these performers, one of the most gratifying parts of the show is making sure everyone knows how far this country has come.
"We did our show on election day," Patrice Covington said. "People were crying and hootin' and hollerin'. It was a fun time."
And the fun is evident on the stage. Each show is a little bit different, and with a full jazz band on stage with the performers, the audience is taken back to that time.
"You have people that say, 'I remember that song,'" Marks said. "Then they've brought their children and their grandchildren and you get to see the show through all these generations. That's the most gratifying experience."
Ain't Misbehavin' is playing at the Pikes Peak Center until Thursday night.
To view Frenchie's full interview, click here.
Click on the camera icon to view the story as it aired on FOX21 Morning News.
