Long, Beautiful Hair – Shining, Gleaming, Streaming Flaxen Waxen…
I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this play! It would surely reveal my age if I were to tell you that I first saw the play during its original Broadway run, in 1969, while traveling around the country with my good friend. We didn’t have great seats, but, really, there was not a bad seat in the house! The music was amazing and the energy was overwhelming – I had just never experienced live theater like this before. And, oh, yeah, at the end of the play, when many of the cast members opted to strip off their clothes and walk into the audience as they sang, “Let the Sunshine In”, I’m sure that my jaw dropped. I was NOT a New York City kid! I came from sleepy St. Pete!
Anyway, the play was totally fun and the music has stuck with me for forty years. I saw Hair again a few years ago in Tampa in a MAD theater production. Extremely well done, just as much energy and enthusiasm on the part of the actors and the audience.
And now, courtesy of St. Petersburg’s own local professional theater company extraordinaire, Hair will be presented outdoors, at Demens Landing, for this year’s American Stage in the Park. The play will run from April 21st, tonight, through May 16th. For more information, ticket prices, or to purchase tickets, visit the American Stage website.
And when you go, be prepared to sing! Each time I’ve seen the play, it amazes me when I realize how many hit songs came from this play. Of course, there’s Hair, for which the play is named (and if you need to be reminded, you can hear the Original Broadway Soundtrack recording at this link.) But, in addition to Hair, there were so many other hits: Aquarius, Let the Sunshine In, Easy to be Hard, and Good Morning Starshine to name a few. I hope that you make it a point to go and see this play. You’ll be helping to support a great theater company and you’ll have a great time enjoying St. Petersburg’s beautiful outdoors while you’re at it! The photo below is a shot of the Hair stage in Demen’s landing taken earlier this week. (Click on the picture for a larger view)
