If you can get a ticket this weekend for Hair at UC's College-Conservatory of Music, that's the show to see this weekend. It's an intentional trip down memory lane — if your memory goes back 40 years. (The show that turned the world of Broadway upside down in the late 1960s is being presented as part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of CCM's musical theater program.) If not, and you want a taste of what all the shouting was about in 1969, Corbett Auditorium is the place to be.—-
Before the show you can watch projections of black-and-white news photos from the day, enough to give you a sense of the environment, which was contentious and rabble-rousing. That's what the "American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" was all about: In-your-face songs about sex and drugs, characters agonizing over the draft, generation-gap arguments and more. CCM's cast (most of whom are kids of the Hippie generation) are high-spirited, and they're backed by a kick-ass band with some fine guitar and brass work. Even if you don't know the show, the tunes will sound familiar: "Aquarius," "Easy to Be Hard" and "Good Morning, Starshine," in addition to the title song, became Pop music hits in the day. And even if that doesn't mean much to you, you'll still enjoy the energy and enthusiasm of this production. It's contagious.
Final performance is Saturday evening. Check in with the box office for ticket availability: 513-556-4183.