Queens Theatre in the Park Presents 'T'ain't No Sin, A Ragtime and Jazz Party', 4/10

Queens Theatre in the Park (QTP) presents T'ain't No Sin, A Ragtime and Jazz Party on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 8pm in the Claire Shulman Playhouse Main Stage Theatre at Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY. Tickets are $33 and are available at http://www.queenstheatre.org/or by phone at 718-760-0064. T'ain't No Sin, A Ragtime and Jazz Party is part of the American Express Cultural Heritage Series, which allows audiences to participate in a post-show talk back after the show.

T'ain't No Sin, A Ragtime and Jazz Party is a high spirited celebration of the wonderful hot and blue music of the 20's and 30's. The show features Terry Waldo and his Gotham City Band, an ensemble of New York's finest traditional jazz musicians, with singer and Broadway favorite Colleen Hawks.

Spend an evening with the man The New York Times called a "ragtime pianist nonpareil and eminent scholar of the form." Terry Waldo, world-famous performer of ragtime, stride and classic American popular music, has played at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Supreme Court (at the request of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor), and many of NYC's historic jazz and cabaret venues like The Cookery, The Village Gate and The Bottom Line. Terry Waldo's book This Is Ragtime was republished this year by Jazz at Lincoln Center Library Editions, with an introduction by Wynton Marsalis.

Waldo's Gotham City Band includes Colleen Hawks (vocals), Joe Muranyi (clarinet and vocals), Peter Ecklund (cornet), Brian Nalepka (string bass and tuba), Arnie Kinsella (drums), Terry Waldo (piano and vocals).

Colleen Hawks is a veteran of Broadway's Shrek the Musical, Boys from Oz, and Smokey Joe's Café; and Off Broadway's Shake That Thing! and Wild Party.

Joe Muranyi, a legendary clarinetist, was with Louis Armstrong's All-stars and has played and recorded with many jazz luminaries including Doc Cheatham, Bobby Hackett, Red Allen, Eddie Condon, (Fats Waller's) Herman Autry, Jimmy and Marian McPartland, and Buck Clayton among others.

Arnie Kinsella was the percussionist for A Prairie Home Companion for 17 years and is considered by many as the top trad jazz percussionist in the US.

Peter Ecklund, a phenomenal jazz cornet player, has recorded with Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur, Gregg Allman, Livingston Taylor and Leon Redbone. He was solo trumpet player on Ken Burns' PBS features, The Civil War and Baseball and can be heard in the films Fried Green Tomatoes, Eight Men Out and King of the Gypsies.

Brian Nalepka is a premier bass string and tuba player and is the founding member of The Manhattan Rhythm Kings. The Kings were featured in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Crazy for You and toured extensively with Tommy Tune. They played Carnegie Hall, Radio City Hall and are favorites at symphony pop concerts, performing with over 80 orchestras including the Boston Pops and National Symphony. Their numerous TV appearances includes Emmy-award winning Celebrating Gershwin with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. The Manhattan Rhythm Kings have shared the stage with Leonard Bernstein, Bob Hope, George Burns, Bette Midler, Gregory Hines, and Judy Collins.

Terry Waldo, the protégé of the late Eubie Blake, is a virtuoso ragtime, stride, and blues pianist. He is also a vocalist, an arranger, a comedian-famous for his dry wit-and leader of many highly regarded musical groups. He is a composer not only of rags and show tunes, but of movie scores as well. In addition, he is a scholar and an historian. His This is Ragtime is the definitive book on the subject, and was just republished with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis by Jazz At Lincoln Center. His 26-part radio series with the same title, was produced for NPR and fueled the 1970's ragtime revivAl. Terry has performed in numerous theatrical projects including his one-man shows, The Naked Dance: The Music of Storyville, Eubie & Me and This Is Ragtime. Waldo has previously been music director of a number of other shows about historical jazz figures, among them: Mr. Jelly Lord (based on the life of Jelly Roll Morton and directed by Vernel Bagneris), Down Hearted Blues: Bessie Smith (directed by André De Shields), the Playwrights Horizon's production of Heliotrope Bouquet (based on the life of Scott Joplin and directed by Joe Morton) and Waldo's own show, Shake That Thing, which opened at the Queens Theater in the Park. Waldo was composer and music director for the sequel to Sugar Babies called Scandals. He is the music director for an André De Shields musical about Louis Armstrong, Ambassador Satch, which opened in London's West End and played in Dubai last year. Waldo has appeared in concert all over the world, including several major shows for George Wein's JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He appeared with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall presenting the world premiere of a Eubie Blake concerto. He has also produced over 40 albums under his own name and performed and composed for hundreds of TV programs. This year Terry is working on a PBS Concert/Documentary on Ragtime with veteran producer, Charles Hobson and several recording projects with Zenph Productions and SONY Records.

Tickets are available:
* Online at http://www.queenstheatre.org/.
* By phone at 718-760-0064, Tue-Sat, 12-6pm.
* In person at Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.

* Multi Show: Order any three or more shows and earn the multi show discount price. This discount is available for any show this season. There is no limit on the number of tickets you can purchase at this discount. If you are already a Theatre or Dance Subscriber or have purchased at least two shows this season, you have already earned this discount on additional ticket purchases.
* Groups: Contact group sales associate Barbara Matovu at 718-760-0064 x128 for groups of 15 or more.
Queens Theatre in the Park is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.
By Subway: Take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point stop. Exit and turn left after passing through turnstile, walk downstairs on the parking lot side and follow the theatre shuttle signs. Take free trolley to the Theatre. Trolley runs for one hour before and after all performances.
By Car: Take the Grand Central Parkway to exit 9E (from Manhattan) or 9P (from Long Island) and follow the signs for the Theatre. Free parking in adjacent lot.

About Queens Theatre in the Park

Queens Theatre in the Park is committed to presenting performing arts that provide audiences with the highest quality work. QTP also produces new plays, with a concentration on up-and-coming directors and playwrights. QTP has broadened the experience of its core audience to include works by under-recognized artists from around the world and works that tap into the diverse communities of Queens.

Queens Theatre in the Park is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the New York State Pavilion designed for the 1964 World's Fair by Philip Johnson. The Pavilion was converted to a theatre in 1972 and was operated by various organizations until 1985. QTP was officially established in 1989 with the full support of the community and the Queens Borough President. After a $4 million renovation that brought full ADA compliance, the Theatre officially opened to the public in 1993 in a facility that allows it to stage productions equal to those of any Off-Broadway house in Manhattan in its 464-seat main stage theatre and its 99-seat Studio Theatre. What was then a small cabaret-style theater with an operating budget of under $500,000 has transformed itself into a major performing arts center with exhibition galleries with a projected operating budget of $3.5 million for FY10.

QTP became an independent nonprofit in 1997. It is a member of the Cultural Institutions Group receiving support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The Theatre presents and produces 300 performances annually. QTP serves 100,000 people annually who reflect the rich demographics of its community population. Currently 75% of the Theatre's constituency is from Queens. In addition to its own season, QTP frequently provides its space for use by community arts organizations and local promoters.

QTP has recently completed a $ 23 million physical transformation of the Theatre. This major capital investment has added a 75-seat cabaret performance space with a full service cafe and kitchen facility; created a dramatic new 3,000 square foot lobby/reception area; provided new visitor amenities and improved the facility's accessibility. These improvements have transformed Queens Theatre in the Park into a destination for the residents of the borough and beyond.

Queens Theatre in the Park events are made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sponsored by the American Express Cultural Heritage Series.

For more information, visit http://www.queenstheatre.org/.