Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life
May 30 through June 29
Allen Theatre
Cleveland Play House 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), the show features contemporary tap icons The Manzari Brothers and music from the all-female big band The Diva Orchestra.
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.
JOHN MANZARI (Assistant Choreographer, Performer) has performed in renowned theaters across the nation. 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, 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.
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.