Ain't No Misbehavin' ‘Bout It,

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre starts the season with a Jumpin'-n- Jiven' Good Time!

Ain't Misbehavin' Runs November 28 Through December 10

(November 10, 2006) Jupiter, Fl-Thought by many as the quintessential musical revue against which all others are measured, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre will kick off their first play of the season on Tuesday, November 28 with the Tony Award winning Broadway Musical Ain't Misbehavin'.

This musical tribute to Thomas "Fats" Waller, great jazz pianist and entertainer during the 20's and 30's jazz movement, has wowed audiences since its Broadway opening in 1978. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre's rendition will be no exception with its energetic cast directed by award winning Associate Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Kent Gash, charismatic choreography by Bryon Easly and amazingly authentic costume designs by Austin K. Sanders.

Ain't Misbehavin' is set in one of the most chaotic and confusing times in American history, the onset of the great depression. The sassy songs and dazzling dance steps will take audiences back to a time when music was all they had and all they needed!

Such songs include Honey Suckle Rose, Jitterbug Waltz, The Joint Is Jumpin', Looking Good But Felling Bad and, of course, Ain't Misbehavin.

"Kent Gash, our show's director, has been working with our incredibly talented ensemble to reveal the true intentions behind Fats Waller's lyrics," said Maltz Jupiter Theatre's Artistic Director Andrew Kato. "What a great way to kick off the season!"  

In addition, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre will join with the Artists Showcase of the Palm Beaches to display creative works and contributions by artists of color in an effort to develop awareness of multicultural diversity. The showcase will be displayed throughout the running of this much anticipated show.

Ain't Misbehavin' runs through November 28 to December 10 with showtimes at 2:00 pm Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 pm Tuesday through Friday and an 8:00 pm showing on Saturday. Tickets range from $27 to $45 and are available at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre Box Office, online at http://www.jupitertheatre.org/ or by phone 561-575-2223 or 800-445-1666. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre opened in February 2004 as a 550-seat, nonprofit community-based regional theater in the former Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre. The theater is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is located at 1001 Indiantown Road and State Road A1A in Jupiter.

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CAST BIOS:

Angela Grovey

Regional Credits: Crowns(Wanda) Arizona Theatre Company,  Portland Center Stage, and Actors Theatre of Louisville; Abyssinia (Mavis) Goodspeed Opera House and North Shore Music Theatre; Crowns (Mabel) at Arena Stage, Geva Theatre, and Studio Arena ; Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer's Night Dream (Snout/Wall) Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Showboat (Ethel) Marriot Lincolnshire; Kiss Me Kate (Hattie) Drury Lane Oakbrook; Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Granny) Apple Tree Theatre; Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal) Theatre at the Center. Grovey is a very native Texan and a 2002 graduate of Roosevelt University's Theatre Conservatory in Chicago, IL.  Grovey holds seven theatrical credits from the Conservatory.

Everett Bradley

Awaiting Bio

John Eric Parker

John Eric comes to The Maltz Jupiter Theatre directly from the West Coast Premier of DESSA ROSE playing the role of Nathan. Prior to that, he had the honor of opening the 10th Anniversary World Tour of Rent playing the role of Tom Collins in Singapore, Hong Kong,Taipei, Beijing and Korea. A native New Yorker, his Broadway credits include Rent and All Shook Up and National tours of Pippin, Five Guys Named Moe and The Wiz. Regional credits include Chess, Once On This Island, Children Of Eden and he was seen in the German Production of Starlight Express. He has performed and recorded with Barbara Cook, Liza Minelli, Donna McKechnie, Clay Aiken and Elton John.

Melissa Lola Youngblood

Melissa Lola Youngblood is a native Miamian. She is a graduate of the prestigious New World School of the Arts in Miami, Fl. and received a Bachelor of Music/Theatre from Florida State University where she was one of the founders/choreographers of the Kollage Dance Company.  You may have seen Melissa as the "Gumbo Lady" in the Alliance Theatre's Production of Jelly's Last Jam under the direction of Kent Gash and choreographed by Byron Easley.  She has also performed in Bye Bye Birdie at the Shores Theatre in Miami (teenager), A Little Night Music (Mrs.Segstrom), Godspell (Robin) and Brigadoon (Ness McKeith).  Melissa Youngblood is also a Dade County Public School teacher where she has worked as an assistant musical director/choreographer for PAVAAC magnet school under Charlette Seward.

Rebecca Covington

Rebecca Covington recent productions include Thoroughly Modern Millie (Muzzy Van Hossmere), Aida (Nehebka), Ragtime (ensemble), Hair (ensemble), Smokey Joe's Café (Brenda Track), Pippin (Featured Player), Crazy for You (Tess), 42nd Street (Dorothy Brock), The Wiz (Dorothy) and West Side Story (Anita).  She holds a B.M. from Belmont University. 

Rodney Hicks

Rodney Hicks was last seen starring in the 2006 Off-Broadway Hit Revival Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris alongside Robert Cuccioli, Natascia Diaz and Gay Marshall. Hicks' Broadway credits include: RENT (Original Cast), and Jesus Christ Superstar (Peter -2000 Revival); Other Off-Broadway credits include: From My Hometown (Philly -Audelco Award Nomination Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical), Irrationals (Desmond Chalmers), Beautiful (Archer), Lotto (Spike -Audelco Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play); Favorite Regional: Goodspeed Opera House, Balitmore Center Stage, The 5th. Ave. Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Geva Theatre, Nevada Shakespeare Festival, among others. Television credits include: Hope & Faith, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, NYPD Blue, Student Affairs, & Felicity.   

PRODUCTION BIOS:

Alice McClanahan

Wardrobe Supervisor

Awaiting Bio

Austin K. Sanderson
Costume Designer
Upcoming Costumes Designs: Pure Confidence at Denver Theatre Center and Cincinnati Playhouse. Current: The Big Apple Circus Season 2006-07; Welcome Parades for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines', "Freedom of the Seas," the world's largest passenger ship. Last season at Arena: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. Mr. Sanderson has also designed costumes for Alliance Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Trinity Rep, Ballet Hispanico, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan School of Music, Theatre Virginia, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Primary Stages, The Kirk Theatre and many other companies. His set designs include the Reem Acra Bridal Collection, Capital Rep, Theatre Virginia, Fleetwood Stage, and numerous television commercials and industrials. He is represented by Barbara Hogenson, The Barbara Hogenson Agency. You are invited to visit http://www.austinsanderson.com/.

Byron Easley

Choreographer

Byron is a Native New Yorker whose credits include Associate Director/Choreographer for Ain't Misbehavin at North Shore Music Theatre and Crowns At the Denver Center. Choreographer/Associate Choreographer for the Alliance Theatre's Jelly's Last Jam (2006-2007 Suzi Bass Award- outstanding choreography), Tick, Tick, Boom, Five Guys Named Moe.  Ain't Misbehavin for Two River Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, Hartford Stage and Playhouse on the Green, Sophisticated Ladies for Pioneer Theatre Company and Electra for Queens College. Assistant Choreographer for the revival of Purlie at City Center Encores, Pasadena Playhouse and The Goodman Theatre.   Performing credits include Broadway companies of Fosse, Play On, Oh Kay, and The Tap Dance Kid.  Off-Broadway productions of Miss Ever's Boys (Audelco Nomination), On The Town and A Midsummer Night's Dream, both for the New York Shakespeare Festival, and Strike Up The Band for City Center Encores.  In addition to numerous National Tours, Regional Theatre Productions, Industrials, Commercials and TV Specials.

David Alan Bunn

Musical Director

David Alan Bunn, a protégé and associate of Luther Henderson, has served as an arranger, conductor, composer and pianist for Broadway as well as off-Broadway.

On Broadway Mr. Bunn served as Musical Conductor, Pianist, & Performer for "Rollin' On The T.O.B.A." which received rave reviews from the New York Times.

David's most recent Music Directing credits include: West Side Story, Beauty & The Beast, Fox Theatre, Detroit, If This Hat Could Talk, The Apollo Theatre, starring Stephanie Mills, Touring Company of Forever Swing, starring Michael Buble,

Hallelujah Baby directed by Arthur Laurents, and Stormy Weather Starring Leslie Uggums.

Emily Beck

Set Designer

This is Emily's first show with the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and her twenty-something-th with Kent Gash. Designs for New York theatres include the Off-Broadway premieres of Call the Children Home for Primary Stages and Miss Ever's Boys for the Melting Pot Theatre Company, and Misalliance for the Pearl Theatre Company.  Regional theatre credits include Pure Confidence for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Denver Center Theatre Company, Crowns for the Denver Center Theatre Company, Jelly's Last Jam, Tick, Tick...Boom, Five Guys Named Moe, King Hedley II, Shakespeare's R & J and A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur for the Alliance Theatre, Ain't Misbehavin' for Trinity Repertory Company and North Shore Music Theatre, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Arcadia, King John, Twelfth Night, Relative Values for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Wit, The Mikado, The Heiress, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, and Gypsy for TheatreVirginia, Spunk for Delaware Theatre Company, Macbeth for Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Five Guys Named Moe for Arizona Theatre Company and TheatreVirginia and the premiere of Great Expectations, the Musical for Goodspeed at Chester.  Costume designs include Death of A Salesman for Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Beauty Queen of Leenane for Syracuse Stage.  For television: Six Degrees.  Film work: The School of Rock, Hide and Seek, Stay, Find Me Guilty, Just My Luck, Invincible, The Departed and the upcoming Spiderman 3, Perfect Stranger, and A Little Game.

Kent Gash

Director

Awaiting Bio

lark hackshaw

Production Stage Manager

Partial favorite credits include: Off-Broadway: Langston in Harlem; Hoopz; Mama, I Want to Sing. Alliance Theatre: Jelly's Last Jam; Five Guys Named Moe; King Hedley II; Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk; Jar the Floor; Wit; How I Learned to Drive; Crumbs From the Table of Joy. True Colors Theatre Company: Rejoice! Theatrical Outfit: Summer and Smoke; Mahalia. Regional Theatre: Ain't Misbehavin', Trinity Rep, Providence, R.I.; Noise/Funk national tour starring Savion Glover; Korczak's Children, CTC in Minneapolis, MN; Soldier's Play, Black Spectrum Theatre, NY; Dreamgirls tour starring Jennifer Holiday; Blues in the Night, Arena Stage, Washington, DC; Grease, Muny Theatre, St.Louis; DANCE: Urban Nutcracker; The Leopard Tale, Ballethnic Dance Company. Other Credits: An Evening with Carol Burnett, Atlanta Symphony Hall; Line Producer/ Executive Assistant to Producing Artistic Director, North Carolina National Black Theatre Festival 1997 through the present; Owner/Operator of Lark's Production People, a labor agency for technicians.

Sarah Rossman

Assistant SM

Recent and current productions as Assistant Stage Manager include The Big Bang, The Good War, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Tin Pan Alley Rag, Barefoot In The Park, Ain't Misbehavin' and Death Trap.

Other productions worked include My Fair Lady, Anna In The Tropics, Their Playing Our Song, Plaid Tidings, Elaine Stritch Live At Liberty, The Glass Menagerie, The Nerd, and What A Night.

Scott Stauffer

Sound Design

Broadway: The Rivals, Contact (also London, US tour and Tokyo), Marie Christine, Twelfth Night, Jekyll And Hyde, and its tours. Off Broadway: Bernarda Alba, Third, Belle Epoque, Big Bill, Elegies, Hello Again, The Spitfire Grill, Dancing On Her Knees, The American Songbook series at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Cowgirls, Pageant, Theda Bara, Hedwig. Regional: Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare) Little Shop Of Horrors (Alley Theater) As Sound Engineer- Broadway: The Lion King, Juan Darien, The Little Foxes, It's A Slippery Slope, Chronicle Of A Death Foretold, Carousel, Once On This Island, Conversations With My Father; Off-Broadway: Little Shop Of Horrors.

Sima Bressler

Props Master

Awaiting Bio

William H. Grant III

Lighting Designer

William H. Grant, III has designed lighting for Dance, Opera and Theater throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.  Here in the U.S. he has designed extensively for the Alliance Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater Company, North Shore Music Theatre, The Melting Pot Theatre Company, the Philadelphia Drama Guild, the Cleveland Playhouse, Theatre Virginia and The Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  His designs have appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where he designed Dreams and Pearl (Nominated for the 2003 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Lighting) written, choreographed and directed by Debbie Allen and at the Geffen Play House where he designed Harriet's Return starring Debbie Allen and Pearl.  

 Mr. Grant has designed for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The American Ballet Theater, and was resident lighting designer for The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) for 28 years. He is the recipient of the 2003 IRNE (Independent Reviewers of New England) award for best lighting for Pacific Overtures directed by Kent Gash at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass.  He taught lighting design at City College of New York, and is the author of A Basic Handbook of Stage Lighting. Mr. Grant has his own harp repair service and is principal harpist with the Bergen Philharmonic.