The Cast Photo by Mark Lyons

Hair, often referred to as "The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical," premiered on Broadway, following an Off-Broadway mounting, in 1968. The show's loosely constructed plot follows a group of counterculture youth as they address issues such as social activism, racial equality, drug experimentation, sexual freedom, and anti-war protests. At the center of the Tribe (as the communal hippies are known) are Claude, who has just gotten his draft notice to go to Vietnam; Berger, an irreverent stoner; and Sheila, a fiery activist.

The book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni are significantly more freeform than most Broadway musicals, with a purposefully scattered focus to match the freedom of expression and spontaneity of the population being portrayed. There's little emphasis on character development outside of the three lead roles, and the musical focuses instead on the communication of social and political issues, as well as on sheer entertainment value. Galt MacDermot's music is accomplished, providing melodic structure for the score's less polished and quick-fire lyrics. MacDermot's rock-flavored music pulsates with emotion and energy while also being highly theatrical. In what would become a trademark for MacDermot, his score for Hair features many more songs than the typical Broadway show, with most numbers being shorter in duration and demonstrating a wide breadth of musical motifs. Song highlights include the opening "Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," "Where Do I Go?" (Claude's act one closer where he contemplates whether to enter the Army or stay behind with his friends and honor his pacifism), "Walking In Space," "I Got Life," and the moving "The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In)".

Sam Yousuf was an appealing and emotionally conflicted Claude, and sang many of the show's best songs beautifully. As Sheila, Hannah Ervin wonderfully captured the role's intensity and conviction, and provided an excellent vocal interpretation of "Easy to Be Hard". Franco Valerga skillfully captured the free-spiritedness and unpredictability of burned-out Berger. There was fine work from the remaining Tribe, and supporting performances especially deserving of praise include Tomi Newman (an endearing Woof), Lucy Acuna (a sweet-natured Crissy), Sean Polk II (Aquarius Soloist), and Maya Sharma (a kooky and hilarious Jeanie).

Director Vincent DeGeorge provided an in-you-face production with fierce performances from his committed cast. The tone and pace were appropriate, and he brought sufficient clarity to several portions of the show which can easily be presented as a muddled mess. DeGeorge's staging of the finale was especially potent and moving. The choreography by Susan Rueter Moser was suitably unique and befitted the setting and atypical characters. Steve Goers led a rockin' eight-piece band.

Regan Densmore's artistically pleasing set featured a hippie bus that rotated thanks to a turntable, and which delightfully opened up to transform into several other locales including Claude's house. There were also other set pieces which accurately reflected Central Park, where much of the action takes place. The costumes and wigs by Maura Kesterson were period appropriate and attractive. The lighting by Jules Cabrera was evocative and professionally rendered.

This Hair was part of a trend at CCM of repeating shows the college presented in the not-so-distant-past, joining Wonderful Town and The Wild Party among others which have been staged twice since 2000. Hair was last mounted at CCM in 2009. While it's understandable that, with staff and student turnover, the shows are new to them, for the many consistent theatregoers, choosing not-previously-staged musicals (of which there are plenty) would be appreciated.

The world is in turmoil currently, with several major wars. Political division and policies seen by many as cruel and selfish are prevalent. As a result, the primary messages in Hair of love and peace, feel very timely. CCM provided a well performed, directed, and designed production that demonstrated its place as one of the top schools for musical theatre in the nation.

Hair ran from April 24-27, 2025, at CCM, Patricia Corbett Theater, 290 CCM Blvd, Cincinnati OH. For tickets and information for upcoming events, please call 513-556-4183 or visit ccmonstage.universitytickets.com.