Patrice Covington, left, David Jennings, Starr Domingue, Tony Perry and Rheaume Crenshaw in Ain’t Misbehavin’ Matunuck.

Mark Turek

Don’t go looking for much in the way of a plot when it comes to Ain’t Misbehavin’, the 1970s revue that pays homage to jazz great Fats Waller. It’s more concert with minimal staging than standard musical.

But the show does contain some terrific songs, and in the current production at Theatre-by-the-Sea, some hard-working singers.

I wouldn’t say the five voices in this up-tempo production are spectacular. Decent is more like it. But the cast of New York imports more often than not manages to get under the skin of this timeless music, which includes such standards as “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “Honeysuckle Rose.”

There’s humor in this show directed and choreographed by Broadway veteran Ken Leigh Rogers, in numbers like “Your Feet’s Too Big” and “Fat and Greasy,” which turned into an audience sing-along.

And there’s pathos, too, in a dramatic rendition of “Black and Blue,” with its stinging indictment of racism. This was a wonderful arrangement that was all about tight ensemble work and slick harmonies.

David Jennings, who did a stint on Broadway in Once Upon a Mattress with Sarah Jessica Parker, hammed it up in “The Viper’s Drag,” when he sang about lighting up a “reefer 5 feet long.” Jennings seemed a little uncomfortable smoking the “joint” he was puffing on. He was unwilling to inhale. But he did manager to slither about the stage and at one point offer a toke to a front-row audience member.

Even though the show lacks a book, there are implied stories in songs that celebrate up-town life in the years between the Depression and World War II. This is the world of the Harlem Renaissance, a time made famous by Thomas “Fats” Waller, one of the foremost pop musicians of his day, a pianist Oscar Levant called the black Horowitz.

The two-dozen songs in the show were either written by Waller or recorded by him. Then it was up to Richard Maltby Jr., the original director of the show when it landed on Broadway in the late 1970s, to bring a sense of shape to the medley.

As it turns out, the first act is a little flat, save for the last two numbers, “The Ladies Who Sing in the Band” and a sizzling rendition of “The Joint is Jumpin’.” “The Ladies Who Sing in the Band” was actually five numbers that allowed cast members to troop out with a solo.

Rheaume Crenshaw appeared as a stage-struck novice in the World War II-era tune “Cash for Your Trash.” She was introduced as a neophyte, on stage for the first time. But as she eased into the song, she gained confidence and let her voice blossom.

It was Act Two that contained some of the better-known songs and seemed to have more of a theatrical appeal.

Tony Perry was a hoot in the 1936 number “Your Feet’s Too Big,” sitting at a table with a shot glass and adding grimaces to the wry lyrics. Starr Domingue proved a real stylist in “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now,” a song she really brought some shape and conviction to.

The whole second half of the show sort of built to a striking arrangement of a somber “Black and Blue,” the climax of the act. The singers sat perched on stools in minimum lighting provided by pin-point spots.

“My only sin is in my skin,” sang the cast.

From there the show breaks into a rollicking finale with a half-dozen songs made famous by Waller, tunes such as “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “ I Can’t Give You Anything but Love” and “It’s a Sin to Tell A Lie.”

There is not much in the way of staging for the show, just a couple of café tables and a spiral staircase that the occasional singer descends from.

And the choreography is kept to a minimal, with just a couple of swing numbers.

Andrew Smithson, keyboardist for the recent tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Nealy, provided the expert piano work, leading a small but sharp combo of players placed behind the singers.

Rounding out the cast was Patrice Covington, who did a nice job with “Squeeze Me” in the opening act.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ runs through June 15 at Theatre-by-the-Sea, 364 Cards Pond Rd., Matunuck. Tickets are $39 to $49. Call (401) 782-8587.

cgray@projo.com