Go Inside the Opening of Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole in Los Angeles

Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole, the new biographical play with music from Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor, opened February 13 at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. The play, starring Dulé Hill (Psych) as Cole, is set to run until March 17. Cole's daughters, Timolin and Casey Cole, were in attendance for the opening night celebration.

READ: Broadway’s Dulé Hill and Daniel J. Watts Reunite to Play Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr.

According to production notes, this "electrifying exploration into the soul of an American icon" imagines Cole "as he faces the final Christmastime broadcast of his groundbreaking variety show and weighs the advice of his friend Sammy Davis Jr. to “go out with a bang.” Cole’s hit songs, such as “Nature Boy,” “It’s a Good Day” and “Smile,” underscore this boldly original homage to the renowned performer who struggled to break through America’s color barrier in the early days of television."