"American Idol" Champ Ruben Studdard
Headlines 30th Anniversary Tour Of
"Ain't Misbehavin'"

The 30th Anniversary National Tour of the Tony Award-winning musical "Ain't Misbehavin'" starring Ruben Studdard will play The Strand Theatre, located at 543 Columbia Road in Boston, for a limited three-day engagement April 10 - 12. The production is presented by the Citi Performing Arts Center and the City of Boston.

"Ain't Misbehavin'" showcases the music of Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller, the prodigious comic and musical soul of 1930s Harlem. The production features such popular songs as “Honeysuckle Rose,” “This Joint is Jumpin,’” "Mean To Me," “Your Feet’s Too Big,” and the title song, among others.

The tour will be directed by legendary Broadway director and author Richard Maltby Jr., who directed the original production. Tony Award-winner John Lee Beatty will recreates his original scenic design

Dubbed “The Velvet Teddy Bear” by legendary R&B singer Gladys Knight, Ruben Studdard shot to fame in 2003 after winning the TV talent competition smash hit "American Idol." The Grammy-nominated star will be joined on stage by two other "Idol" alums: Frenchie Davis, 2003 contestant and star of Broadway’s "Rent;" and 2003 Top Five finalist Trenyce Cobbins.

"Ain't Misbehavin'" originally opened in the Manhattan Theatre Club's East 73rd Street Cabaret on February 8, 1978, with featured singer Irene Cara. The show was an instant hit and was soon expanded into a full-scale Broadway production.

The production opened three months later at the Longacre Theatre, later moving to the Plymouth Theatre and finally to the Belasco Theatre before finally completing its 1604 performance run. The show launched the career of the late Nell Carter, and won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress for Ms. Carter. In 1988, "Ain't Misbehavin'" was revived on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre, with Carter as an above-the-title star.

The Boston engagement of "Ain't Misbehavin'" is presented by arrangement with the Citi Performing Arts Center and the City of Boston and sponsored in part by Citibank. The presentation is part of SpectrumBoston, a 5-month city-wide collaboration that reflects, celebrates, and engages diverse audiences through special programs, events and activities.

For information and tickets, stop by the Citi Performing Arts Center box office at 270 Tremont Street, call 866-348-9738 or visit www.citicenter.org.

Free parking for all performances is available in the Ramsey Street Municipal lot, located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Columbia Road . Free parking is available for evening and Sunday performances in the parking lots at Citizen's Bank (Columbia Road and Cushing Avenue) and Sovereign Bank (585 Columbia Road).

-- OnStage Boston