Totem Pole Playhouse, America’s beloved summer theatre, located in Caledonia State Park between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, PA, will present the Tony Award-winning musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ beginning this Sunday, June 17th through July 1st. The show features the music of acclaimed American Jazz pianist, singer, and composer Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller and contains such classic songs as “Honeysuckle Rose,” “The Joint is Jumpin’,” “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” plus 25 other toe-tapping songs of the 1920s and 30s.Aint’ Misbehavin’ won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as a 1982 Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical or Variety Program. This is the first time this award-winning musical has ever been presented at Totem Pole Playhouse. Ain’t Misbehavin’ features a cast of five vocalists with a live jazz band on stage throughout the two-hour show.
The cast of the Totem Pole Playhouse production stars Brandi Chavonne Massey, Jaime Cepero, Whitney Hayes, Brian Jordan, Jr. and Khalifa White. Ms. Massey played ‘Elphaba’ the Wicked Witch of the West in the long-running smash hit Broadway production Wicked. She has also appeared on Broadway in Jekyll and Hyde, Dreamgirls, Caroline, or Change, and The Color Purple. Jaime Cepero is best known for his role as the villain, ‘Ellis Boyd,’ on the TV series Smash about the making of a Broadway musical. Whitney Hayes starred in the National Tours of Elf, the Musical and Menopause the Musical. Brian Jordan, Jr. appeared in the films Pitch Perfect and Get On Up. Khalifa White has appeared in various productions across the country including Dreamgirls and Hairspray at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and The Wiz at the Alhambra Theatre in Florida, as well as a vocalist at the Walt Disney World Resort and Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Award-winning Director/Choreographer Gerry McIntyre staged and choreographed Totem Pole’s production as well as those at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, Theatre-by-the-Sea, and Gateway Playhouse. He has worked at numerous regional theatres across the U.S. including the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Pasadena Playhouse and San Jose American Musical Theatre. He won both the Drama League and Robby Award for Best Choreographer for his production of Once on This Island at the LaMirada Theatre in Los Angeles and a Broadway World Award for his work on the Ogunquit Playhouse’s production of Chicago. As a performer he has been seen on Broadway in numerous shows including Anything Goes, Once on This Island, Uptown It’s Hot, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a role for which he was one of three Americans chosen to be in the film version starring Donny Osmond. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the show that opened the Playhouse’s 68th season in May.
John Bronston, who served as the musical director of the North American tour of the Broadway musical Hair, is the musical director for the production. The production’s set design is by Brian Dudkiewicz, sound design by Kate Wecker, with costumes by Danielle Preston. Ryan Gibbs is the lighting designer and production stage manager for the show.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a tribute to the black musicians of the 20s and 30s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, an era of growing creativity, cultural awareness, and ethnic pride. The show’s five performers present an evening of humorous, rowdy, and at time risqué songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era and reflect Waller’s view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play. Some of the material may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13.
FLEX Subscription tickets for the remaining 3 shows are still available for $130.50 for adults and $101.50 for students 16 to 22. Single ticket reserved seat prices for the season are all seats $50.00. Totem Pole also offers three low-cost preview performances on June 15th and 16th with all seats half-price, $25.00, and seating is general admission.
Tickets for groups of 10 or more are on sale now by calling the Totem Pole Playhouse Box Office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (717) 352-2164. For online tickets,
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