COOL PAPA'S PARTY at MetroStage

Book, Lyrics & Direction by Thomas W. Jones II
Original Score & Music Direction by William Knowles
Choreographed by Maurice Hines

Recipient of six 2010 Helen Hayes Award nominations: Outstanding Direction, Music Direction, Choreography, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, and Ensemble!

What a treat it was to serve as dance captain in this incredibly athletic world premiere musical at MetroStage!

"Gia Mora excels in giving a generous, exposed tinge in one of her characters, a Caucasian woman trying to save her marriage to Kearse, with many external forces against them."--Potomac Stages

"Seven knockout performances."--Washington City Paper

>"Cool Papa features a stellar cast of seven of the finest performers in musical theatre in the region."--Alexandria Times

"Cool Papa's Party has a compelling story, killer dance moves, and nary a weak member of the company in sight."--Washington Examiner

"A party, filled with eclectic energy and as exciting as a bar room brawl waiting to happen."--DC Theatre Reviews

Starring
Ben Horen, William Hubbard, Jahi Kearse, Anthony Manough, Gia Mora, Gary E. Vincent, Roz White, and Lori Williams

Read the Washington Post article about Maurice Hines and writer/director Thomas W. Jones II.

And listen to their Podcast with DC Theatre Review's Joel Markowitz. In the background you can hear William Knowles' swingin' original score.

Cool Papa's Party is a twentieth century musical odyssey through the eyes of the "last great American hipster." It is to Sammy Davis, Jr., and Nat King Cole what DREAMGIRLS was to the Supremes, Barry Gordy, and Motown. Cool Papa's life stands on the world stage as a testament to the traveler, the survivor, the conqueror. And what a life!--defined by artistry, underscored by excellence, and always distinguished by style.