Misbehavin' in Sag Harbor, Montauk and Beyond

Can you misbehave without a trace of transgression? In Bay Street Theater's revival of the Fats Waller musical revue "Ain't Misbehavin'," an ensemble of five carrying on at a rent party in Harlem perform lively renditions of the now standard "Ain't Misbehavin'," "T'Ain't Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do," "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Joint is Jumpin'" without messing a strand of crimped hair. Smooth performances, eye roving, and suggestive hip pulsing convey the cheating, reefer smoking, jazzy jellyrolling, cop conniving of a bygone era "when Swing was King." James Alexander, Monica L. Patton, Q. Smith, Aurelia Williams, and Jim Weaver who doubles as Associate Director and Choreographer are seasoned performers who add to the original Manhattan Theater Club and Broadway versions with a segment remembering the songs Thomas "Fats" Waller made hits. You can bring your kids. For truly outrageous behavior, go to Montauk, to Sole East, for a burlesque show that will knock off your socks. Runaround Sue made the call to about 150 burlesque "artists" (that's how many there are in NYC, she told me) for "the Montauk project," and got Jonny Porkpie, Legs Malone, and Nasty Canasta to join her for this raunchy romp. Let's just say there's tassel spinning from every body part, stripping down past the bikini line, peek-a-boo fan dancing, and serious body contorting illustrating that sound business advice from Gypsy, "You Gotta Have a Gimmick." Remember, Mama Rose resisted the degradation of her child vaudeville act into burlesque. This show explains why. Do NOT bring your kids. Meantime, at last week's Mercedes-Benz Polo in Bridgehampton, a crowd that included Beth Ostrosky, Robin Quivers, and Lindsay Lohan's mother crowded into a tent to celebrate Katie Lee Joel's cookbook, "The Comfort Table." With recipes from soup to nuts, this book features squeaky-clean photos of Billy Joel's wife in the kitchen—she makes it look so easy--and in the measure of what makes marriage work, yes, she's baking cookies.

Regina Weinreich

Graphic Design: Salpeter Ventura