Sitting nightly at a piano, Waller pounded out his ditties, pouring himself a shot or two of gin and cracking wise with the crowd. The man at the helm in the DTC production is the legendary Maltby. Richard is a friend but had never been to our theater. Richard is a special guy, extremely talented, but like the guy next door. His ongoing collaboration with composer David Shire has endured for more than a half-century, and includes a string of Tony-nominated original musicals.
A versatile cast struts, strums and sings the songs Waller made famous in a career that ranged from uptown clubs to downtown Tin Pan Alley before reaching Hollywood and concert stages across the world.
Waller was an imposing figure with an especially muscular playing style. He composed ballads, ditties and rousing up-tempo tunes. Before his untimely passing in at the age of 30, he had a finger on the pulse of the culture of Harlem. After he died, people began to pay attention to what he wrote. He was also the founder of the stride piano techniques and fingerings.
In response to this, Waller and several other Harlem pianists began to experiment with a blending of styles, the result of which was stride piano. Of the current cast, two have previously performed at the theater.
The revue revolves around music director William Foster McDaniel, who performed superbly on a upright piano in a corner of the stage, often accompanied by a tight and energizing five-member jazz band. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you.
