Photo Flash: Christine Ebersole Visits MAURICE HINES TAPPIN' THRU LIFE Off-Broadway

Performances of MAURICE HINES TAPPIN' THRU LIFE began on December 23rd at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street), and opening night is Monday, January 11th. Stage and screen actress Christine Ebersole recently stopped by the show and visited with the cast backstage. Check out photos below!

MAURICE HINES TAPPIN' THRU LIFE is a swinging, song and dance musical that celebrates the astonishing showmanship of one of the last great tap dancers of a by-gone era still working today and whose collaborators were a jaw-dropping, who's who of theatre, music, film and television. Co-starring the fierce tap dancing Manzari brothers and the all female vivacious Diva Jazz Orchestra, the show is directed by Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Deaf West's Big River, Grease).

Maurice began working when he was five years old and his brother Gregory was three. He shares funny and heartbreaking experiences about his life with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Judy Garlandand many others. The show is a tribute to his loving family, both on stage and off. Co-starring in the show are two of Maurice's discoveries, John and Leo Manzari, a pair of tap dancing siblings reminiscent of a young Maurice and his brother Gregory. The Diva Jazz Orchestra is led by drummer Sherrie Maricle.

MAURICE HINES TAPPIN' THRU LIFE has set design by Tobin Ost (Newsies, Jekyll and Hyde), sound design by Michael Hahn (Two Gentleman of Verona, Hamlet), lighting design by Michael Gilliam (Bonnie and Clyde, Brooklyn), and projection design by Darrel Maloney (Allegiance, On Your Feet!).

Photo Credit: Karen Steinberg