Sarasota music revue pays tribute to jazz legend, Fats Waller
By Cathy Carter
August 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
Thomas “Fats” Waller wrote such jazz standards as “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and “Honeysuckle Rose." In the 1930s, he was ranked at the top among African-American entertainers on stage and on the radio.
A giant of jazz is being celebrated in Sarasota.
Fats Waller was a gifted piano player and composer. He was also known for his comedic personality. 'Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue' tells his story in song.
WUSF's Cathy Carter spoke with the show's leading man, Sarasota-based actor, Leon Pitts Jr.
As an actor, Leon, I know you've done a lot of shows including, ‘The Wiz,’ ‘Ain’t Misbehavin,’ ‘5 Guys named Moe’; but I understand the idea behind the ‘Big Sexy Revue’ came when you were having a conversation with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Artistic Director, Nate Jacobs.
We were backstage during Marvin Gaye, another show that he wrote, and I played Marvin Gaye's father, so I had my wig on. I ran my hand through my wig, and I said, ‘Mr. Jacobs, you know what?’ We both were standing in the mirror, I said, ‘you should write a show about me called Big Sexy and he just laughed. He said, ‘Boy, you crazy.’ After the Marvin Gaye show ended, Mr. Jacobs looked at me like he always does, like he has this gift to see shows and to write shows and to create shows. And he said, ‘Leon, you inspired me. I'm going to write that show.’ Next thing you know, like, a week later, I get a phone call. He says, ‘so Leon, if we're going to do this show, I had to go do homework.’ I had to go read up on Fats Waller and learn about him. Learn many new things about him that I did not know as the man.
So, did you learn anything about Fats Waller's life that was maybe surprising to you?
So, there's one particular story about him and Al Capone. He met Al Capone in Chicago, not willfully but forcefully. Fats was playing at this hotel, right? And all of a sudden, Al Capone’s men come up to him, telling him, ‘We got to take you someplace.’ And Fats was looking at them like, where we going, you know? And like they did back then, they held a gun up to him. Now Fats was a womanizer, so he thinking, I done messed with the wrong woman, and now a husband’s got his people coming after me. But when he finally got to where he's going, the blindfold came off and Al Capone was sitting right there. You see Al Capone. You think, oh, shoot, this is one of the top gangsters. I done messed with the wrong person. But Al Capone was like, ‘Fats, play something for us’. Fats looked around like ‘you picked me up just to come play some stuff for you?’. But Fats made some of the most money that he's ever made that night. Every time he played a song, they put $100 bill in his pocket. And that's the first time he ever received a $100 bill, because Al Capone gave it to him.
Actor Leon Pitts Jr. portrays jazz icon Fats Waller. The show includes such Waller's signatures as 'Ain’t Misbehavin,’ and 'Sit Down and Write Myself a Letter.' (2880x1920, AR: 1.5)
That is such a great story. Well, Fats Waller, his music was big many decades ago. He died in 1943. What would you like younger people to know about Fats Waller.
Fats Waller comes from a generation where all these things were created, like the scatting, the stride piano. Fats was a part of a generation that everybody should study, because it wasn't only just Fats. It was Louis Jordan. It was Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday. They all were in the same circle together. That was the creation of jazz, with the scatting and such. And what came later? That became the creation of rap, the creation of R&B. It was the umbrella for everything to grow and become what we all do today.
Well, you have some similarities to Fats Waller. You have a big personality. It doesn't seem like you had too much trouble embodying his spirit.
No, no, no. But you know, when I was growing up, believe it or not, I was always the person in the background. I played the flower, I played the green elf, which blended in with the flowers in the back. I played just a lot of background parts. And it wasn't until I got with the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and I got to do ‘Ain ‘t Misbehaving', my first role of being out in front, and something about it just captivated me. It went in my soul and my spirit. Like, yes, this is it. This is my purpose in life to bring happiness to people. Like, what greater joy can you have?
The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's 'Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue' runs through Sept. 7 in Sarasota.
Fats Waller was a gifted piano player and composer. He was also known for his comedic personality. 'Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue' tells his story in song.
WUSF's Cathy Carter spoke with the show's leading man, Sarasota-based actor, Leon Pitts Jr.
As an actor, Leon, I know you've done a lot of shows including, ‘The Wiz,’ ‘Ain’t Misbehavin,’ ‘5 Guys named Moe’; but I understand the idea behind the ‘Big Sexy Revue’ came when you were having a conversation with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Artistic Director, Nate Jacobs.
We were backstage during Marvin Gaye, another show that he wrote, and I played Marvin Gaye's father, so I had my wig on. I ran my hand through my wig, and I said, ‘Mr. Jacobs, you know what?’ We both were standing in the mirror, I said, ‘you should write a show about me called Big Sexy and he just laughed. He said, ‘Boy, you crazy.’ After the Marvin Gaye show ended, Mr. Jacobs looked at me like he always does, like he has this gift to see shows and to write shows and to create shows. And he said, ‘Leon, you inspired me. I'm going to write that show.’ Next thing you know, like, a week later, I get a phone call. He says, ‘so Leon, if we're going to do this show, I had to go do homework.’ I had to go read up on Fats Waller and learn about him. Learn many new things about him that I did not know as the man.
So, did you learn anything about Fats Waller's life that was maybe surprising to you?
So, there's one particular story about him and Al Capone. He met Al Capone in Chicago, not willfully but forcefully. Fats was playing at this hotel, right? And all of a sudden, Al Capone’s men come up to him, telling him, ‘We got to take you someplace.’ And Fats was looking at them like, where we going, you know? And like they did back then, they held a gun up to him. Now Fats was a womanizer, so he thinking, I done messed with the wrong woman, and now a husband’s got his people coming after me. But when he finally got to where he's going, the blindfold came off and Al Capone was sitting right there. You see Al Capone. You think, oh, shoot, this is one of the top gangsters. I done messed with the wrong person. But Al Capone was like, ‘Fats, play something for us’. Fats looked around like ‘you picked me up just to come play some stuff for you?’. But Fats made some of the most money that he's ever made that night. Every time he played a song, they put $100 bill in his pocket. And that's the first time he ever received a $100 bill, because Al Capone gave it to him.
Actor Leon Pitts Jr. portrays jazz icon Fats Waller. The show includes such Waller's signatures as 'Ain’t Misbehavin,’ and 'Sit Down and Write Myself a Letter.' (2880x1920, AR: 1.5)
That is such a great story. Well, Fats Waller, his music was big many decades ago. He died in 1943. What would you like younger people to know about Fats Waller.
Fats Waller comes from a generation where all these things were created, like the scatting, the stride piano. Fats was a part of a generation that everybody should study, because it wasn't only just Fats. It was Louis Jordan. It was Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday. They all were in the same circle together. That was the creation of jazz, with the scatting and such. And what came later? That became the creation of rap, the creation of R&B. It was the umbrella for everything to grow and become what we all do today.
Well, you have some similarities to Fats Waller. You have a big personality. It doesn't seem like you had too much trouble embodying his spirit.
No, no, no. But you know, when I was growing up, believe it or not, I was always the person in the background. I played the flower, I played the green elf, which blended in with the flowers in the back. I played just a lot of background parts. And it wasn't until I got with the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and I got to do ‘Ain ‘t Misbehaving', my first role of being out in front, and something about it just captivated me. It went in my soul and my spirit. Like, yes, this is it. This is my purpose in life to bring happiness to people. Like, what greater joy can you have?
The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's 'Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue' runs through Sept. 7 in Sarasota.