HAIR!

So tonight was the last show of the Music Circus season, HAIR. yeah, it was the musical our parents warned us against. It is groovy and emotional. Before the show, many of the ushers swapped stories about having seen the musical in its hey-day. Meself, I saw it in the 1970s... with my mother... who didn't put a damper on anything. On the way home we hadn't exactly discussed the nude scene but we kept staring at each other waiting for each other's smiles to fade. As I recall, that took about a week.

My first thought when I heard it HAIR would play in conservative Sacramento I mentally laid down bets how the nude scene would play out: 'light weight  skin-hugging bodysuits, Full Monty nudity but lights shining so nothing can be seen, or full frontal nudity...' Damned if they just went ahead with the latter. I heard at various Sacramento performances some audience members actually got up indignantly marching out of the theater, offended by 'offensive' words and/or over-endowments of the actors & actresses - trust me on that one. My last thought on viewing Hair this time was really, how few things have changed. There's still wars going on and seemingly not enough love and happiness or certainly peace to go around. The more things changed, the more they stayed the f*cking same.

Broadway Legend Ben Vereen was in Sacto on the 12th,
giving cast of Hair an impromptu Master's class

Tonight was a double 'last' - last show of the Music Circus season and the last show for HAIR. Every seat in the house, sold. We ushers wondering where we'd sit. There are comfy canvas chairs for our use but they pretty much all disappeared over the season. After a lively usher to usher chat, we decided to just plop ourselves on the steps along aisle six. And really, all of us seated in the aisle sure helped the place look like there was a 1960s 'sit in' happening. As the music started up, I was happily cross legged, leaning on the aisle banister. Happy as hippy having a toke.

I was in the same theater as Vereen - YES!

Back in the 70s I wore a nice shaggy afro when I saw Hair. Tonight I wore my sister locks which felt just as right for the occasion. During one scene, as actors tore through the audience, I hastily pulled my leg out of the aisle, freaked I might accidentally trip up an actor. No sooner had my leg pulled out, then an actor leapt onto the banister above me, and leaning down, he playfully tousled my hair! It was suddenly 1967, I was in with the cool hippies and I laughed and laughed! I felt the happy vibes my brothers and sisters. Peace out.