MAURICE HINES IS TAPPIN' THRU LIFE! Comes to Cleveland Play House, 5/30-6/29

Cleveland Play House enthusiastically welcomes dance legend Maurice Hines to Cleveland in the toe-tapping extravaganza, Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life. Co-produced with Alliance Theatre and Arena Stage, CPH audiences will be dazzled by this infectious production, which brings the history of American tap to life. Directed by Tony-nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) and featuring contemporary tap icons The Manzari Brothers and music from the all-female big band The Diva Orchestra, Tappin' Thru Life will dance its way onto PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theatre stage for an extended run from May 30 - June 29. Special gratitude is given to CPH's generous sponsor, Zinner & Co.

Through song and dance, Hines pays tribute to his brother and longtime dance partner, the late Gregory Hines, by taking the audience on a journey through his incredible career in show business. Along the way, Hines pays homage to a number of inspiring showbiz legends, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne and Judy Garland, among others. The result is a high-energy production that mixes vaudeville with Vegas and will leave audiences smiling from ear to ear.

CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley comments: "We blissfully end our 2013-2014 Season on a high note with this electrifying production of Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life. CPH is honored to have dance icon Maurice Hines gracing our stage with such an incredible team of artists. We are delighted to share this uplifting and invigorating production with our CPH audience and look forward to an incredible new season."

Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life Cast

MAURICE HINES (Creator, Choreographer, Performer) Broadway credits include Eubie, Bring Back Birdie with Chita Rivera and Donald O'Connor, Sophisticated Ladies, and Uptown...It's Hot! (1986 Tony Award Best Actor nomination) which he also conceived, directed and choreographed. He collaborated with Maurice White to choreograph/direct the hip-hop musical Hot Feet featuring the music of Earth, Wind, and Fire. Along with his brother and father, he performed in Hines, Hines, & Dad in New York, Las Vegas and Europe. Hines performed in Uptown...It's Hot! (Atlantic City); performed in Sophisticated Ladies and Guys and Dolls (Arena Stage); choreographed Hairspray (Santo Domingo); and choreographed and starred in Dance, Dance, Dance Snap and Cool Papa's Party (MetroStage, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography). He starred in the national tour of Guys and Dolls, directed, choreographed, and starred in the national tour of Harlem Suite with successive leading ladies Jennifer Holiday, Stephanie Mills, and Melba Moore, and starred in the national tour of Jelly's Last Jam. Film credits include Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club. At the age of five, Hines studied tap at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in New York City. He created the dance company Ballet USA with Mercedes Ellington. Hines has directed and choreographed many music videos, including I'll Be Good to You, the first release off of Quincy Jones' Back on the Block album. He became the first African-American director for Radio City Music Hall when he directed The Radio City Spectacular. His latest album on Arbor Records, To Nat 'King' Cole, With Love, was released to critical acclaim.

JOHN MANZARI (Assistant Choreographer, Performer) has performed in renowned theaters across the nation. He was seen in the 50thAnniversary of the 35th President of the United States at the Kennedy Center, Ellington Songbook and Sacred Concert at the Strathmore Theater, Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stage, and Apollo Club Harlem at the famous Apollo Theater. His television credits include the Mo'Nique Show, Jerry Lewis Telethon, BeBe Winans' special America, America, and So You Think You Can Dance where he was invited by Nigel Lythgoe to appear as a special guest on the show's finale. He has received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Resident Musical" and recently won the Shirley Chisolm Trailblazer Award. Please visit www.manzaribrothers.com.

LEO MANZARI (Assistant Choreographer, Performer) previously appeared in Arena Stage's production of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies starring Maurice Hines at the Lincoln Theatre. He was seen in the 50th Anniversary of the 35th President of the United States at the Kennedy Center, Ellington Songbook and Sacred Concert at the Strathmore Theater and Great American Songbook at The Palladium in Indiana. He appeared in the 2013 production of Apollo Club Harlem at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem. He received a Helen Hayes nomination- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a resident musical 2010 for Sophisticated Ladies, and recently won the Shirley Chisholm trailblazer award. His TV credits include Mo'Nique Show, special guest on So You Think You Can Dance, BeBe Winan's special America America, Jerry Lewis Telethon and PBS NewsHour. Please visit www.manzaribrothers.com.

DR. SHERRIE MARICLE (Musical Director/Drummer) can't stop smiling because she is so thrilled to be a part of Tappin' Thru Life. She is the leader of The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, FIVE PLAY, The DIVA Jazz Trio and has worked with Maurice Hines since 1990. Maricle is also the drummer for The New York Pops and enjoys a varied career as a performer, composer/arranger and teacher. Her bands have performed to critical acclaim at many of the world's most prestigious music venues and festivals. They have been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center TV Special and NPR's Piano Jazz. DIVA is also featured in the new award-winning film The Girls in the Band. Maricle has received several awards and honors, most notably the Kennedy Center's 2009 Mary Lou Williams Lifetime Achievement Award and was nominated for the 2013 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Music Direction in Tappin' Thru Life. Her bands have recorded over 20 CDs. Their latest will be released in July 2014 on the MCG Label and features vocal giants Nancy Wilson and Marlena Shaw. Maricle loves the Ronald McDonald House - New York and has created and runs their Musical Magic hospital outreach program. Please visit Maricle at www.divajazz.com or on facebook.

For a complete list of bios, visit http://clevelandplayhouse.com/main-stage/2013-2014/maurice-hines-is-tappin-thru-life.

Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life Creative Team

JEFF CALHOUN (Director) is currently represented on Broadway by Disney's Newsies, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Director. Other Broadway credits include Jekyll & Hyde, Bonnie & Clyde, Grey Gardens, Deaf West's Big River, Brooklyn, Annie Get Your Gun, Grease, Tommy Tune Tonite, and The Will Rogers Follies. On tour and internationally, he directed Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 and Disney's High School Musicals 1 & 2. Working with Maurice Hines is extra special because Calhoun began his career as a tap dancer, working with the likes of Tommy Tune, Ann Miller, Ken Berry, Arthur Duncan, and the Nicholas brothers. The highlight of his performing career was tap dancing with the legendary Charles "Honi" Coles on Broadway in My One and Only. Calhoun loves to hear your thoughts on Twitter at @thejeffcalhoun.

The Design Team for Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life includes TOBIN OST (Scenic Designer), T. TYLER STUMPF (Costume Designer), MICHAEL GILLIAM (Lighting Designer), CARL CASELLA (Sound Designer) and DARREL MALONEY (Projection Designer). The Stage Manager for this production is JENNIFER MATHESON COLLINS and the Assistant Stage Manager is TOM HUMES.

Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life Special Events:

Tech Tuesday: Tappin' Thru Life
May 27, 2014 @ 7:00pm - 8:30pm

During this FREE tech Tuesday event, you'll talk with Tony Award-winning director Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Grease) then sit in on a technical rehearsal ("tech") to see how set, lights, sound, costumes, live music, and performers all come together to create a toe-tapping song and dance extravaganza! RSVP required. Email InsideCPH@clevelandplayhouse.com.

TalkBack: Tappin' Thru Life
June 08, 2014 @ 5:00pm - 6:00pm

TalkBack: Tappin' Thru Life
June 10, 2014 @ 9:30pm - 10:00pm

Behind-the-Scenes: Tappin' Thru History
June 15, 2014 @ 4:30pm - 6:00pm

Tap dance is an original American art form, and Tappin' star Maurice Hines is an American original, too. Join Hines and the cast of Tappin' Thru Life to experience the rich and surprising history of this artform, and the artists taking it into the 21st century.

Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life will take place May 30 - June 29, 2014 in the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. Tickets range in price from $45-$72 each. Students under the age of 25 with a valid ID will be offered a special $15 ticket price. Tickets are also just $25 for anyone under age 35, sponsored by Scene Magazine. To order single tickets call 216-241-6000 or visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com. Groups of 10+ save up to 40% off single ticket prices; call 216-400-7027.

Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, Cleveland Play House has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. It has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,300 CPH productions. Cleveland Play House looks toward its centennial while performing in three state-of-the art venues at PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund Cleveland Play House with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. We also thank the residents of Cuyahoga County for supporting Cleveland Play House through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

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