Was gregory hines gay
An intimate portrait of an overlooked elder song-and-dance guy, who with humor and grace battles the challenges of show business and a complex relationship with a superstar brother.
"Digs much deeper than your usual showbiz doc"
- The Hollywood Reporter
"You can't help but laugh, cry and cheer"
- The Georgia Voice
"Mesmerizing and high energy"
- The Austin Chronicle
"A portrait of a sassy, charming, and brutally honest trailblazer"
- Logo TV | NewNowNext
"I love this documentary, it’s literally something I can watch over and over again."
- Irish Film Critic
EXCERPT: Don’t Ignore God’s Gifts
EXCERPT: The Hines Bros – Soul Brothers
Something Extra!: SYLVIA’S w/Jenifer Lewis
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back is a portrait of the charismatic song-and-dance man from his tap-dancing childhood to today. Maurice and friends—Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington and Debbie Allen—tell tales from his seven-decade career, including Broadway shows, a co-starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club and about his loving yet complex relationship with his superstar bro
When celebrated tap dancer and choreographer Maurice Hines (elder brother and onetime stage partner of Gregory Hines) died at 80 late last year, the evidence that he was openly gay didn’t factor heavily into the obituaries. But in his 2019 documentary, Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, he explored his experiences being both Black and same-sex attracted in show business.
“Never let anybody or anything define who you are. You define who you are,” Hines said, adding. “I touch very free entity gay, although I don’t like to label anything. I’m Maurice. I just happen to be gay, and loving it!”
Can You Perceive Us Now? The Queer Tap Gyrate Revolution
6/20-6/23: Thu-Fri 7 PM, Sat-Sun 2 PM; ASL meaning Thu; Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, 773-769-9112, chicagotaptheatre.com, $35-$75
Molly Smith of Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) wants to give that same celebratory spirit with the company’s Can You Hear Us Now? The Queer Tap Dance Revolution, opening tonight and running through the weekend at the Edge Theater. The evening-length concert features pieces that focus on the history of LGBTQ+ artists in tap and jazz, offering “a celebration of queer customs and history and an ex
The True King of Tap
BY DAVID NOH| There was no show more entertaining than “Tappin’ Thru Life,” starring the phenomenal triple threat talent Maurice Hines, who, at 72, just blew me away with his inexhaustible strength, showmanship, and elegance (in some fabulous Armani). Backed by the wonderful all-girl Diva Jazz Orchestra and featuring three dazzling, gorgeous, and excruciatingly young tap dancers, the Manzari Brothers and Luke Spring, it was a musical journey through his unreal life, from the beginnings at the Apollo Theater, where he and his brother, the belated Gregory Hines, tap danced their way into the hearts of Harlem and big-time TV and Las Vegas audiences.
I’ve always loved this warm and winning man, running into him often help in the sunlight at the Christopher Street subway end, and was so looking forward to our interview. The day before it happened, his show’s closing that Sunday was announced, but always the trouper, he decided to carry on, regardless, and we had a delish dish sesh in his dressing room before his Friday darkness show.
Howard Alumna and Husband Create Documentary on Maurice Hines
In Maurice Hines, celebrated dancer, singer, actor and choreographer, Tracy E. Hopkins (BA ’92) saw a subject with a compelling story who deserved greater recognition and more widespread familiarity.
“Honoring Black elders is really important to me,” Hopkins says. “I’m glad we were able to give Maurice his flowers with this film.”
Maurice Hines rose to stardom alongside his younger brother, Gregory Hines. As children in the 1950s, the brothers formed a trio along with their father, known as Hines, Hines and Dad. Specializing in tap dance, the family outfit performed on television and traveled the world, captivating audiences with their song and sway routines.
Hopkins spent her career writing and reporting on arts and entertainment, but had never done a documentary. When the opportunity arose to work with her husband, John Carluccio, on the documentary “Maurice Hines: Transport Them Back” about multidimensional talent Maurice Hines, Hopkins didn’t assist down from the challenge of doing something she had never done before.
“I have this background in arts and fun journalism, interviewing performing artists