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Hair

August 10 - October 03

Lowell Davies Festival Theatre

Hair

Summary

Lowell Davies Festival Theatre

The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
Book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Music by Galt MacDermot
Directed by James Vásquez
Choreography by Mayte Natalio
Music Direction by Angela Steiner

The Age of Aquarius dawns again! It’s the Summer of Love, and a group of young Americans are looking to change the world! Directed by Old Globe Resident Artist James Vásquez (The Old Globe’s American Mariachi and Tiny Beautiful Things), this legendary rock musical bursts onto the outdoor stage with its Grammy Award–winning score, featuring iconic hits such as “Let the Sunshine In,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and the exuberant title song. Make love, not war!—and celebrate “harmony and understanding” with Broadway’s first great rock musical.

Running time: Two hours and 10 minutes. There is one intermission.

For mature audiences. Contains brief nudity.

Hair is supported by production sponsors Terry Atkinson and Kathy Taylor, Nikki and Ben Clay, Karen and Donald Cohn, Elaine and Dave Darwin, Silvija and Brian Devine, Pamela Farr and Buford Alexander, Hal and Pam Fuson, Paula and Brian Powers, The Conrad Prebys Foundation, Jean and Gary Shekhter, United, Pamela Wagner and Hans Tegebo, and Vicki and Carl Zeiger, as well as artist sponsors California Bank & Trust and Viasat.

Program

COVID-19 Health and Safety Policy

“The Old Globe is making a splash of a comeback. Treat yourself, transport yourself, and revisit the brief, golden age of Aquarius.” Times of San Diego

“Kudos to this bravura cast! Don’t wait to get those tickets.” San Diego Stage and Screen

“A First-class production. This is a Hair to seek out.” San Diego Story

“Lively, colorful, and well-sung. Briskly paced and enjoyable.” The San Diego Union-Tribune

Cast and Creatives

Cast

Creatives

Gerome Ragni (Book and Lyrics), 1935–1991, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the youngest of a large family with six sisters and two brothers. After four years as a medic in the United States Air Force, he began acting and was recognized by winning the Barter Theatre Award as Outstanding Young Actor. He appeared on Broadway in John Gielgud’s Hamlet featuring Richard Burton, and he starred Off Broadway in The Knack. Ragni was involved with The Open Theater (which he named), studying experimental theatre techniques with Nola Chilton and Joseph Chaikin. With James Rado, he co-created the American tribal love-rock musical Hair, and their lyrics were set to music by Galt MacDermot. A dynamic stage and life presence, Ragni originated the role of Berger in Hair. On his own, he authored the Broadway musical Dude, with score by MacDermot. He teamed up with another composer, Steve Margoshes, who wrote the music for the opus Jack Sound and His Dog Star Blowing His Final Trumpet on the Day of Doom. Soon thereafter, he and Rado rejoined forces to collaborate on a new musical they called Sun. A gifted actor and prolific writer and painter, Ragni originated “paper-napkin art,” and he wrote a volume of dynamic poetry under the pen name Virginia Miller. His son, Erick Ragni, is an innovative architect.

James Rado (Book and Lyrics) is an actor, songwriter, and co-creator of the characters, story, dialogue, and lyrics of Hair. His daydream since being a teenager was to write a Broadway musical. He taught himself how to write lyrics from intense study of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, and Cole Porter, as well as pop music from the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. In college, he wrote the music and lyrics for two shows: Interlude at University of Maryland and Cross Your Fingers at The Catholic University of America. After a two-year gig in the United States Navy, in 1956 he moved to New York to be an actor. Five years later he got his first Broadway break when the famed director and teacher Lee Strasberg plucked him from an acting class for a small part in June Havoc’s Marathon ’33 starring Julie Harris. This led to a string of acting roles in Luther, Generation, The Knack, and, in 1964, Hang Down Your Head and Die, where he met fellow actor Gerome Ragni. He told Ragni about his daydream of creating a Broadway musical and proposed that they team up to write a show about the hippies and the anti-war movement that was happening all around them. Ragni came aboard with some of his exciting experimental poetry. In 1966, in the midst of writing Hair, Rado got a leading role as Richard the Lionhearted in the James Goldman play The Lion in Winter starring Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris, and Christopher Walken. By 1967, Rado and Ragni had a script of Hair and handed it to the producer Joseph Papp. liked what he read and decided Hair would be the inaugural production of his newly founded New York Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater on New York City’s Lower East Side. The rest is theatrical history. Hair opened on Broadway in the spring of 1968 and starred Rado and Ragni in the lead roles. Over the intervening years, Rado has been working on two other pieces: American Rainbow and Sun.

Galt MacDermot (Music), 1928–2018, a two-time Grammy Award–winning and Tony Award–nominated composer, is best known for the music he wrote for the Broadway scores of Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona. He garnered his first Grammy for the song “African Waltz” in 1960. His work spans the gamut of performing arts: musicals, ballet scores, film scores, chamber music, the Anglican liturgy, orchestral works, poetry, drama accompaniments, band repertory, and opera. His work encompasses a wealth of musical genres, crossing the boundaries of jazz, folk, funk, gospel, reggae, and classical styles. The son of a Canadian diplomat, MacDermot was born and raised in Montreal. He received a bachelor of music from University of Cape Town in South Africa. Based on his traditional training, he wrote his own arrangements. He moved to New York in 1964 and three years later wrote the music for the landmark Broadway production Hair, which he later adapted for the screen. He formed the New Pulse Jazz Band in 1979, which featured his original music played by some of the world’s greatest musicians, including Bernard Purdie and Wilbur Bascomb. MacDermot’s music is consistently sampled by hip-hop and rap artists who find his rhythms perfect for setting their lyrics to, as in Run-DMC’s Grammy Award–winning Down with the King, and Billboard’s chart-buster “Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check” by Busta Rhymes. MacDermot wrote more than 3,000 songs over his lifetime. His music is listened to and enjoyed in 122 countries worldwide, and Hair has been performed constantly in over 40 countries worldwide since its inception.

James Vásquez (Director) The Old Globe: Resident Artist; American Mariachi (world premiere), Hurricane Diane, Tiny Beautiful Things, Rich Girl (West Coast premieres), The Rocky Horror Show, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Regional: American Mariachi (Denver Center Theatre Co.), In the Heights (Dallas Theater Center, Moonlight Stage Productions), Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (associate director, Children’s Theatre Co.), West Side Story, Cats (SD Musical Theatre), Pageant, Hedwig... (Cygnet Theatre Co.), Next Fall, Pippin (Diversionary Theatre). Other works: Goodspeed Musicals, La Jolla Playhouse. Education: The Juilliard School, Drama Division. jamesvasquez.com.

Mayte Natalio (Choreography) Choreography: The Winter’s Tale (DTC/Public Works), Runaways (NYU, 2019), Into the Woods (Barrington Stage Company, 2019), Measure for Measure (The Public Theater/Mobile Unit, 2019), Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theater, 2019), Medusa (Michigan State University, 2020), La Hora Santa (also writer and director, Ars Nova’s Vision Residency). Other work: co-founder of immersive events company MinuteZero. Education: LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, B.F.A. from SUNY Purchase.

Tim Mackabee (Scenic Design) The Old Globe: Hamlet, Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood!, Skeleton Crew, The Last Match. Broadway: The Elephant Man, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth. West End: The Elephant Man. Off Broadway: Seared (MCC; OCC Award), Guards at the Taj (Lortel Award), Describe the Night, The Penitent, Our New Girl (Atlantic), Darling Grenadine, The Last Match (Roundabout), Vietgone, Important Hats of the Twentieth Century (MTC), Luce (LCT), Gigantic, Heathers: The Musical (Vineyard). Dance: Doug Varone and Dancers, Cedar Lake Dance. Television: Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo (HBO), “Gotham,” “Smash,” “Today,” “Football Night in America.”Education: North Carolina School of the Arts, Yale School of Drama. timothymackabeedesign.com, @timmackabeedesign.

David Israel Reynoso (Costume Design) The Old Globe: Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, As You Like It, The Tempest, The Wanderers, Red Velvet, The Blameless, tokyo fish story, Constellations, Twelfth Night, Arms and the Man, Water by the Spoonful, Time and the Conways, Double Indemnity, Be a Good Little Widow. Theatre: Sleep No More in New York and Shanghai (as costume designer, Punchdrunk; Obie Award), Portaleza, Las Quinceañeras, Waking La Llorona (as creator/director, Optika Moderna/La Jolla Playhouse). Other theatre: ACT, ART, Arena, Finnish National Ballet, Portland Center Stage, WP, Milwaukee Rep, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Commonwealth Shakes, Gloucester Stage, Lyric Stage of Boston. Other work: PostSecret and Living with Animals exhibits (SD Museum of Us). Honors: Creative Catalyst grant, Elliot Norton Award, Craig Noel, Helen Hayes, IRNE, BroadwayWorld Award nominations. davidreynoso.com, @designreynoso on Instagram.

Amanda Zieve (Lighting Design) The Old Globe: Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, Tiny Beautiful Things, Barefoot in the Park, Native Gardens, The Wanderers, Rich Girl. Regional: Put Your House in Order (La Jolla Playhouse), Rock of Ages (Cygnet), Sweeney Todd, Roof of the World (KC Rep), Billy Elliot: The Musical, Titanic (Signature Theatre), Approval Junkie (Alliance Theatre). Associate design: The Heart of Rock & Roll, Bright Star, Allegiance (The Old Globe), Escape to Margaritaville, Hollywood, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chasing the Song (La Jolla Playhouse). amandazieve.com.

Ken Travis (Sound Design) The Old Globe: Life After, American Mariachi, Rain, The Last Goodbye. Broadway: In Transit, Aladdin, Jekyll & Hyde, A Christmas Story The Musical, Scandalous, Newsies, Memphis, The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, Steel Magnolias. Off Broadway/regional: The Public Theater, The New Group, The Civilians, Atlantic Theater Company, Soho Rep., Classic Stage Company, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre Company, Mabou Mines, A Contemporary Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Guthrie Theater, McCarter Theatre Center.

Angela Steiner (Music Director) Regional: Rattlesnake Kate, Indecent, The Who’s Tommy, Oklahoma!, Twelfth Night, A Christmas Carol (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Sweeney Todd (Asolo Repertory), Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Dead Man Walking (Opera Fayetteville), Pippin (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center). Education: B.M. in Piano Performance and Piano Accompanying from Wichita State University, M.M. in Collaborative Piano from University of Northern Colorado. angelasteiner.com.

Sinai Tabak (Additional Arrangements) The Old Globe: Guys and Dolls. Broadway: The Cher Show. Regional: Sound of Music (music supervisor) Evita, Josephine (Asolo Rep), Bliss (5th Avenue), Footloose (Kennedy Center), Paint Your Wagon (Muny), Les Misérables (Dallas Theater Center), Johnny Baseball (Williamstown Theatre Festival). Off Broadway: Stars of David (DR2 Theatre), Goldstein (Actors Temple). Workshops: Los Otros (59E59), The Total Bent (Public Theater), American Psycho, Family Album (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Damascus Square. Film: Hello Again. Education: B.M. in Music Theory and Composition from NYU. sinaitabak.com.

Howie Cherpakov, CSA (Casting) The Old Globe: Benny & Joon, October Sky, Bright Star. Broadway/national tours: Bright Star, Next Fall (Artios Award nomination), The Seafarer, Coram Boy, Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, Dirty Dancing, South Pacific. Off Broadway/regional: Bliss (5th Avenue), Midnight Street (Theatre Row), Found (Atlantic Theater Company; Artios Award nomination), Atomic (Acorn), Pipeline Festival (Women’s Project Theater), Marry Harry (NYMF), Dangerous Beauty (Pasadena Playhouse), Fault Lines (Cherry Lane; Artios Award), The Glorious Ones (Lincoln Center Theater), The Opposite of Sex (Magic Theatre), This Is Our Youth (Fairbanks). Other work: five seasons with New York Stage and Film.hccasting.com.

Moira Gleason (Production Stage Manager) (she/her/hers) The Old Globe: Alive and Well, Since Africa, Back Back Back, Whisper House, Sea of Tranquility, The Sisters Rosensweig, The Constant Wife, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, five seasons of the Summer Shakespeare Festival. Regional: American Mariachi, M. Butterfly, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (South Coast Rep), Julius Caesar, The River Bride, Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Count of Monte Cristo, Two Gents, Water by the Spoonful, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Willful (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Adoption Project: Triad (Mo`olelo), Miss Witherspoon (San Diego Rep).

Kendra Stockton (Assistant Stage Manager) The Old Globe: Almost Famous, As You Like It, Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy, Familiar, Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas, Much Ado About Nothing, Benny & Joon, October Sky, Bright Star, Dog and Pony, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (as production assistant). Regional: House of Joy (San Diego Rep), Home of the Brave, #SuperShinySara, Guards at the Taj, The Orphan of Zhao, The Who & The What (La Jolla Playhouse), The Loneliest Girl in the World (Diversionary Theatre), miXtape (Lamb’s Players Theatre), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (San Diego Musical Theatre).

Musicians

All musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

Angela Steiner
Musical Director, Conductor, Keyboard
Ian Brandon
Associate Music Director
Cynthia Swanson
Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Gabriel Sundy
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet
Nikko Nobleza
Electric Guitar 1
Domenico Hueso
Electric Guitar 2
Michael Pearce
Electric Bass
Danny Chavarin
Drums, Percussion
Lorin Getline
Orchestra Contractor
Angela Steiner, Ian Brandon
Rehearsal Piano
Danny Chavarin
Rehearsal Drums