‘Hair’ Comes to Rockaway!

By Dan Guarino

It turns out the exuberant, full throated knockout benefit concert by the full cast of the Rockaway Theatre Company’s (RTC) “Hair” earlier this month was a just a taste of things to come. Filled with song highlights, that preview’s positive, electric energy radiating outward from the stage was the perfect overture for “Hair’s” full production opening Friday, November 21, at RTC’s John Gilleece Theater at Fort Tilden.

Running through Sunday, December 7, showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays November 21, 22, 28 and 29, and December 5 and 6, plus Thursday, December 4 at 8 p.m. Sunday performances will be on November 23, 30, and December 7, plus a special matinee on Saturday, November 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www.rockawaytheatrecompany.org

A ground breaking theatrical work, “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” debuted off-Broadway in late 1967. By spring 1968, it opened on Broadway, running for 1,750 performances. Its score has produced award-winning albums, and several international hits, including “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In,” “Hair,” “Good Morning Starshine” and “Easy To Be Hard,” by numerous artists.

The first ever rock musical, “Hair” has won Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk awards and earned dozens of nominations. Productions and revivals have spread across the country and around the world in the decades since its first performances.

It was made into a film in 1979, starring Treat Williams, John Savage and Beverly D’Angelo, which varies greatly from the stage play.

At RTC, co-directors/choreographers Gabrielle Mangano and Nicola DePierro-Nellen busily ready Rockaway’s own production. Mangano notes that “Hair,” in its theatre form, “is less a straightforward story and more a collection of songs and scenes that reflect the issues and events of the late ’60s.

“We were drawn to this show not only for its unforgettable music, but for the ever-present importance of the topics that are tackled in this show.” This “series of episodic vignettes weaves…together the songs and storyline” that follow “Claude and his hippie tribe as they face the Vietnam draft and the turbulent political and social changes of their time.”

Being part of RTC for over two decades, Mangano and DePierro-Nellen each started on stage and gradually added choreography and directing to their resumes. Among their many projects just last year at RTC, DePierro-Nellen directed “Footloose”, while Mangano directed “RENT.” Together they have collaborated as directors on RTC’s stunning production of “Cabaret” and other productions.

“When we co-direct, our process is entirely collaborative. We shape the structure and flow of each number together and stay equally involved in every phase of rehearsal and production,” Mangano noted.

Built around handcrafted minimal sets, RTC’s “Hair” springs to life with exuberant dance scenes, music and genuine emotion. A few of the standout dance numbers the directors mention which audiences can look forward to are “Hair,” “Black Boys/White Boys” and “I Got Life.”

Beside the show’s well-known tunes, DePierro-Nellen comments her “personal favorites are ‘Frank Mills’, ‘Going Down’, and ‘The Flesh Failures’,” which even manages to weave lines from Shakespeare. Mangano notes, “‘Walking in Space’ is definitely my favorite song in the show. It’s ethereal and hauntingly beautiful.”

Bringing the music and this show to life is a highly talented creative team. Among them is musical director Jeff Arzberger, who, the directors say, “brings a wealth of knowledge about the musical history of this iconic show, which has been an incredible asset for both us and the cast.” Under Arzberger’s direction, a live 10-piece orchestra will be bringing “Hair’s” iconic sound to life.

“Ricky La Luz-Rivera, our assistant director, has been a dedicated and invaluable collaborator both on and offstage, while also taking on the lead role of Claude. The production is stage managed by Adele Wendt and costumed by Catherine Leib—both longtime, essential members of the RTC family,” the directors said.

“For a show of this magnitude, we knew we needed an all-star team, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the incredible talent guiding this production.”

Add to that a cast of 23 actors/dancers/singers which, who, as they did at the earlier “friend-in-need” benefit concert, fill the entire stage for the kind of grand production that RTC Broadway-quality musicals and plays have become known for.

“We’ve been in rehearsal since the first week of September,” Magano said, “and it’s been an incredibly rewarding— though demanding—process due to the sheer volume of material and content in this show. ‘Hair’ may appear simple on the surface, but it’s deceivingly involved. The majority of the cast remains on stage for nearly the entire performance, creating constant layers of movement, music, and energy.”

As far as the hardworking cast goes, both directors agree, “We couldn’t ask for a better group of actors to take this journey with. They’ve brought so much heart, energy, and individuality to the process, fully embracing the spirit of collaboration and authenticity that ‘Hair’ demands.”

Beneath the music, sometimes soaring, sometimes quiet and poignant, sometimes heart wrenching, the engaging characters, dance and scenes, both “then” and “now,” “Hair” touches on some deep-rooted themes.

Which original ones resonate today?

“All of them,” Mangano said. “Literally every single one. From political issues and social unrest to generational struggles, racial tensions, community, love, and loss, the themes of ‘Hair’ are as relevant now as they were in the 1960s.”

A point audiences often ask about is the freewheeling ‘60’s addition, the brief nude segment, to “Hair’s” reworked Broadway production, though it does not appear at all in the original Off-Broadway show. In staging the musical’s version for RTC’s upcoming production, the directors confirm that, “while there is no full-frontal nudity, you may see a cheek or two.”

While the Rockaway Theatre Company actors, dancers, musicians, stage crew and theater craftsmen are hard at work making “Hair” the best it can be, its directors DePierro-Nellen and Mangano firmly note one thing for all coming to see it.

“Whether it’s your all-time favorite Broadway show, you know just a song or two, or you’re completely new to the musical, this production is not to be missed.

“We promise you’ll leave the theater surprised, entertained, and inspired.”

What more could an audience ask?

Photo by Dan Guarino.