Len Cariou, a Tony-winner as the original title character in Sweeney Todd, will star as writer Ernest Hemingway in the non-musical drama Papa at off-Broadway's Douglas Fairbanks Theatre.

John deGroot's play begins previews April 16, opens May 5 and is scheduled to run through June 30. The production, which originated at Coconut Grove Theatre in Florida, will again be directed by John Henry Davis.

Set in 1959, two years before the Nobel laureate took his own life, Papa affords Hemingway a chance to look back over his machismo-fueled life and career, which included A Farewell to Arms, The Old Man and the Sea, The Snows of Kilimanjaro and nearly five dozen other novels and short stories.

Cariou was nominated for Tonys for his roles in A Little Night Music and Applause, and currently can be seen as Secretary of Defense in the movie thriller Executive Decision.

For information on Papa: (212) 239-6200.