HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical Plays The Roxy Regional Theatre

This summer, join the tribe of the Age of Aquarius and celebrate the sixties counterculture in all its barefoot, long-haired, bell-bottomed, beaded and fringed glory at the corner of Franklin and First in Historic Downtown Clarksville.

HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical opens at the Roxy Regional Theatre on Friday, June 14, at 8:00pm. In keeping with the theatre's traditional pay-what-you-can opening night, all tickets not pre-sold at the regular price will go on sale at 7:30pm that evening for a $5 minimum donation.

In the first rock musical to hit the Great White Way, a group of hippie youth search for meaning amidst the Civil Rights movement, protests against the Vietnam War, drug experimentation and the sexual revolution -- all set to the infectiously energetic rock beat of such songs as "Aquarius," "Good Morning, Starshine," "Hair," "I Got Life" and "Let The Sun Shine." Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, this groundbreaking 1968 tribal love rock musical remains relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world.

The cast of HAIR features Mike Kinzer as George Berger, the tribe's most expressive member and nominal leader; Geoff Belliston as the gentle soul Woof; David Ridley as the militant Hud; Ryan Bowie as Claude, the moral center of the group; Caitie L. Moss as the eccentric Jeanie; Alexandra West as the sassy Dionne; Annabelle Szepietowski as the flower child Crissy; Yarissa Tiara Millan as political activist and student Sheila; Brian Best in the drag role of Margaret Mead; and Ian Alexander Erbe as her husband Hubert. Sebastian Fenton, Emma Jordan, Melody Lieberman, Mimi Sears, Race Smith and Kathy Watts round out the cast as additional members of the tribe.

Rocking the sounds of the sixties is a seven-piece band featuring music director Matthew McNeill on piano, John Mayes-Barron on electric guitar, Colin Mai on bass, Thad Wallus on drums, Jakobie Kindle and Malik Sylvester on trumpet, and Austin Wells on reeds.

Please be advised HAIR is intended for mature audiences only, as this musical contains adult language, sexual situations, and brief and implied nudity. This production also utilizes pulsating lighting effects.

Directed by Ryan Bowie, HAIR was written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado with music by Galt MacDermot. Originally produced by The New York Shakespeare Festival Theatre, the musical was produced for the Broadway stage by Michael Butler.

HAIR is presented by special arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc., and is produced in part by Barbara & Larry Goolsby. Additional funding support has been provided by Bradley & Lisa Martin.

Performances run June 14 through June 29 on Thursdays at 7:00pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday, June 22.

Tickets are $25 and may be reserved online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at (931) 645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to curtain). Military, APSU students and CitySaver coupon holders can receive two tickets for the price of one to Thursday performances during the run.

The Roxy Regional Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing professional live theatre and promoting the arts, with emphasis on education, in Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Southeast. The theatre is located at 100 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Clarksville. For more information, visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.