Created and originally directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.
Conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz
Directed by Richard Maltby, Jr. and André De Shields
The Yard
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Created and originally directed by Richard Maltby, Jr.
Conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz
Directed by Richard Maltby, Jr. and André De Shields
The Yard
“Moves with the zing and sparkle of a Waller recording—filled with bright melodies and wonderfully lighthearted rhythms.”
Kick up your heels and tap your toes! The joint is jumpin’ this Fall with a major new production of the musical revue set in the golden age of the Harlem Renaissance in the ‘20s and ‘30s. The musical’s original creator and director, Tony, Olivier, and Outer Critics Circle Award-winner Richard Maltby, Jr. is joined by the legendary André De Shields—an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner and member of the original 1978 Broadway cast—to reimagine, reframe, and direct a new production for a new generation of audiences. This infectiously joyful tribute to Fats Waller celebrates the enduring spirit of Black artistry as a multi-talented quintet of performers belts out more than 30 hit songs from Waller and other artists—including “The Joint is Jumpin’,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” and the title track “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” CST produces this fresh, new production that goes straight to the heart of Waller’s music, brought to life by the extraordinary artists who began it all.
Co-director Richard Maltby, Jr. said, “The creation of Ain’t Misbehavin’, often referred to as the greatest musical revue of all time, was marked by so many accidents, coincidences, and magical surprises that, even while it was happening it felt to us creating it that the show was somehow blessed. What was intended to be pure entertainment turned out—because it was based on Fats Waller’s life, art, and gargantuan personality—to suddenly have acquired a deeper significance that transcended a mere revue, and conjured up the story, the humanity, and the entire zeitgeist of the Harlem Renaissance. Now, nearly 50 years later, André De Shields and I are grateful to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater for the opportunity to release the magic to happen again as we bring a brilliant new cast into the creative process, and reimagine the show for audiences today.”
Co-director André De Shields added, “We artists/activists, who embrace the discipline of theater as a way to life, understand that the journey is taken in search of the eternal. Our souls are nourished and our senses informed by the unique communities we either encounter or create as we seek. When, in June of 1978, Ain’t Misbehavin’ opened on Broadway—winning the Tony Award for Best Musical—it was confirmation of the journey I had begun nearly a decade earlier in Chicago during the summer of 1969. I return to Chicago to celebrate. Lesson: theatre as a way of life is finite; theater as a way to life is in-finite.”
September 2025
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 3
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 4
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 5
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 6
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 7
7:00 PM / Tuesday , Sep 9
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 10
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 11
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 12
2:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 13
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 13
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 14
7:00 PM / Tuesday , Sep 16
1:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 17
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 17
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 18
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 19
2:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 20
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 20
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 21
7:00 PM / Tuesday , Sep 23
1:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 24
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 24
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 25
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 26
2:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 27
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 27
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 28
WED, SEP 24 Open Captioning
FRI, SEP 19 ASL Interpretation
SUN, SEP 21 Audio Description
September 2025
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 3
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 4
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 5
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 6
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 7
7:00 PM / Tuesday , Sep 9
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 10
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 11
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 12
2:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 13
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 13
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 14
7:00 PM / Tuesday , Sep 16
1:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 17
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 17
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 18
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 19
2:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 20
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 20
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 21
7:00 PM / Tuesday , Sep 23
1:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 24
7:00 PM / Wednesday , Sep 24
7:00 PM / Thursday , Sep 25
7:00 PM / Friday , Sep 26
2:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 27
7:00 PM / Saturday , Sep 27
2:00 PM / Sunday , Sep 28
WED, SEP 24 Open Captioning
FRI, SEP 19 ASL Interpretation
SUN, SEP 21 Audio Description
WED, SEP 24 Open Captioning
FRI, SEP 19 ASL Interpretation