You get to see a lot of Frenchie Davis in the spirited touring version of "Ain't Misbehavin' " that kicked off a two-night Fresno stand Tuesday at the Saraoyan Theatre.
More of Frenchie, in fact, than I was expecting. A couple of women sitting in the audience behind me gave out little yelps every time that the big-voiced actress engaged in a raucous deep-knee bend or high-leg kick, thus revealing a flash of undergarment from beneath the confines of her knee-length skirt.
To say that Davis belts it out in this musical tribute to Fats Waller is an understatement. It's more like she booms. Her notes are like sassy artillery blasts that detonate with maximum impact on the back walls of the balcony.
The show is a well-sung, enjoyable musical romp with the kind of big performances that give this oft-performed show (now in a 30th anniversary tour) its zing. The five-person ensemble is strong. While some in the audience were undoubtedly enticed to the show by the presence of "American Idol" celebrity Ruben Studdard (pictured above with Davis), this is in no way a star vehicle for him -- just a nice, smooth tribute to Fats.
Backed by a raucous live band (gotta love that growly trombone) on stage, the singers traipse in the show through a variety of Waller tunes. This is strictly a musical revue: one number after another, no dialogue or story. From the 1929 title tune to the World War II era (1943's "The Ladies Who Sing with the Band"), the revue bops back and forth in a non-chronological format. Director Richard Maltby Jr. instead groups the songs by mood and subject matter.
Among the best performances of the evening: Davis' powerhouse version of "Cash for Your Trash, a punchy rendition of "Squeeze Me" by Patrice Covington, Davis' emotional "Mean to Me" and a superbly sad, plaintive full-company version of "Black and Blue."
Trenyce Cobbins -- rail-thin and pretty-perky -- offered a welcome twangy vibe to the proceedings, and David Jennings titillated the audience with an amusing, rolling paean to marijuana with a hilarious rendition of "The Viper's Drag."
The Viper song showed what a talented actor/singer can do, all alone on stage in front of more than a thousand people, with just a song and an attitude. I'm not sure that Studdard, who is likable, has that kind of stage intensity. He seems more of a close-up TV performer. And his vocal range is a little low for some of his songs in this show; his attempts at falsetto left a little to be desired.
But he is amiable, and given the right material -- such as his solo of "Your Feet's Too Big" -- Studdard delivers. You can say even more for his four castmates. Together, they don't let Fats down.
I thought the show was great!