DENNIS, MA – The Cape Playhouse kicks off its 2023 summer season on June 7th with the popular Fats Waller musical and Tony Award® winner, Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical. Thomas “Fats” Waller rose to fame as part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and ‘30’s with his jumpin’ new beat known as swing music. Ain’t Misbehavin’ evokes the delightful humor and infectious energy of this American original.
Directing for the Cape Playhouse production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ is Grammy Award winner
Ken Page. Widely known as the voice of Mr. Oogie Boogie in the classic Disney/Tim Burton
animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ken is an original cast member of the
Off-Broadway and Broadway production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. This marks his sixth time at the
helm of this historic Tony Award winning musical. His production of the show for The La
Mirada Performing Arts Center in California was awarded two Los Angeles Ovation Awards.
“It is my mission in continuing to direct productions of AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ to bring the
joy, fun, depth of intention and the wonderful world and music of THOMAS FATS WALLER to
life. It is equally important to me to continue the legacy of the original cast’s narrative work, and
pass it forward to today’s actors. What an honor it will be to realize this at the much revered
historic CAPE PLAYHOUSE. As Fat’s would say, “HERE TIS.”
As an actor, Ken has worked extensively in New York as well as London’s West End starring
in Children of Eden and in Paris for Ain’t Misbehavin’. Mr. Page made his Broadway debut in
Guys and Dolls, as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the all-black revival which received the Theatre World Award. He is a recipient of the Theatre World Award for Guys and Dolls, the Best Actor
Drama Desk Award for Ain’t Misbehavin’ and was honored by the New York Drama League for
his performances on the Broadway stage. He is also the recipient of two Grammy Awards as a
principal member of the OBC recordings of Cats and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
The Cape Playhouse also welcomes seasoned director, actor, and writer Hunter Foster this
summer as their Guest Artistic Director. Hunter has acted or directed at The Cape Playhouse on
numerous occasions during the past twenty years, directing such shows as My Fair Lady,
Cabaret, Million Dollar Quartet, Clue, The Foreigner, and Once. He’s been seen on the
Playhouse stage in Boeing, Boeing, Lend Me A Tenor, and Moon Over Buffalo.
In 2001 he was cast in his breakthrough role of Bobby Strong in Urinetown for which he
received a Lucille Lortel Award and a nomination for an Outer Critics Circle Award. In 2003,
Foster starred as Seymour in the Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors, for which he
received his first Tony Award nomination.
Foster directs and acts in prestigious theaters across the country such as the La Jolla
Playhouse, the Guthrie, Paper Mill Playhouse, the Ogunquit Playhouse, the Kennedy Center,
Cincinnati Playhouse, St. Louis Rep, Geva Theatre, and the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.
Foster is the co-creator and writer of the play adaptation of Clue, which has become one
of the most produced plays in the country. His other writing credits include two off-Broadway
musicals, Summer of ‘42 (Outer Critic Circle nomination) and Jasper In Deadland.
Following Ain’t Misbehavin’ (June 7-17), the Cape Playhouse presents Sense and
Sensibility (June 21-July 1), Jersey Boys (July 5-22), An American in Paris (July 26-August 12),
Camelot (August 16-26) and Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (August 30-September 9).
To purchase a 6-show subscription, a 3-,4-, or 5-show Flex Pass, or single tickets, visit
www.capelayhouse.com
ABOUT THE CAPE PLAYHOUSE
The Cape Playhouse at The Cape Center for the Arts was founded in 1927 by Raymond Moore. His vision
was to create a smart, sophisticated summer theatre with some of the world’s most noted stage and screen
professionals. The realization of Moore’s dream has since been recognized by The New York Times,
acknowledging the Playhouse as the “Place Where Broadway Goes to Summer.” Today, 96 years later, the
theatre continues to feature world-class talent in shows produced specifically for The Cape Playhouse and
is one of Cape Cod’s premier cultural assets. In addition to professional live-theatre experiences, the
not-for-profit Playhouse is committed to youth programs and education. The historic theatre is situated on
an expansive 22-acre campus along with the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Cinema..
