Majestic Repertory Theatre celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Summer of Love with an immersive staging of HAIR: THE AMERICAN LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL.
Written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, with music by Galt McDermot, HAIR cemented itself in popular culture when it premiered off-Broadway in 1967. A direct response to the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement, it spawned a wide catalog of rock music standards including “Aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In” and the title song.
“The writers were keyed in to the burgeoning hippie culture in the sixties,” says director Troy Heard. “They wanted to find a way to bring this energy and activism to the stage. Using that as our inspiration, when you arrive at the theater for this production you’re immediately transported to late sixties commune with a widely diverse tribe of performers. They’re not just performing in front of you. They’ll be beside you, sitting with you, crawling over you and inducting you as part of this peace loving family.” Heard encourages audiences to come in their vintage finest, “with flowers in their hair.”
With social and political activism at an all-time high, Majestic’s decision to open its second season with “Hair” was also part of their mission to produce significant works from the American canon. “From women’s rights, gay rights, civil rights and the need to just connect and be better citizens, ‘Hair’ covers all the bases,” says Heard. “And this music is so great, especially with our live band.”
Performances of HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL will be August 3 through 27; show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Majestic Repertory Theatre performs at 1217 S. Main Street.
Tickets are on sale now at www.majesticrepertory.com
