On to Another Joint That’s Jumpin’

Fresh out of their Bob Mackie costumes, the Pointer Sisters swept into South Coast Plaza in record time Tuesday after their opening night performance in “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

“Segerstrom Hall is fabulous, incredible!” declared Anita Pointer about 30 minutes after curtain. “That makes all of the difference in the world. We had a fun time up there; the audience was so happy!”

The Tony-winning production highlights the music--”Honeysuckle Rose,” “Mean to Me,” “This Joint Is Jumpin’ “--of jazz

great Fats Waller, a man who made misbehavin’ a way of life. His appetite for food, liquor and high living led to his death at age 39 in 1943.

“The man was a genius,” said Pointer, who, with her sisters, has recorded such hits as “I’m So Excited” “Jump (For My Love)” and “Slow Hand.”

“My voice has grown since we began doing this show last August. I don’t get as hoarse as I used to--and I know it’s because the music is so fabulous,” she said.

Of their stylish, figure-revealing costumes--jewel-toned ensembles edged in glitz and paired with hats and platform shoes--the trio chorused, “Bob Mackie! That’s all we have to say!”

“My favorite dress is the blue one I wear in the first act,” Ruth Pointer said. “Love that cobalt blue.”

For June Pointer, the show is all about “opening doors.”

“It has given me a lot of strength and courage. It has shown me that doors can open for me and other artists. We’d never done theater in our 23 years of performing.”

Guests sipped bubbly and grazed on

a buffet outside of Tourneau Watch Co.,

party underwriters, as they watched the sisters move through the crowd. “Loved the show,” (at the center through Sunday), said center activist Barbara Glabman. “Such energy!”

Also among guests: Jim Glabman, Vesta Curry, Al and Jeanette Kleist, Tim and Susan Strader, Gini Castellano, Don Castle, Frank Villalobos, Ann Myles and Linda Pierog.